However, I don’t blog as much as I would like to and generally write around 25 posts per month. But many more news are worth reading. This is why I use Twitter to share dozens of news that are worth your time.

I believe it offers a good complement to this website. So if you are on Twitter and like this selection, don’t hesitate to start following me.

Climate change

Climate change: thr is no plan B Time is almost up. a legally binding approach on climate change in Durban is critical http://bit.ly/tZl5qe

Climate Change Could Dramatically Effect African Population http://bit.ly/vt4VuU

RT @cindybax: Durban deaths caused by unseasonable weather, like we’re seeing around world – figueiras tells press at #COP17 #unfccc

Water level in Rhine at record low for November, expected to fall below all-time low of summer 2003 in coming days as drought continues.

Climate change toll is mounting: ocean acidification causing oyster die offs in Pacific NW, 90% losses http://j.mp/tt3WYs

Global emissions will push temperatures above 2°C, warns UNEP http://bit.ly/sjhxVi

Black carbon – whats it about and how addressing it can help save millions of tonnes of Co2 http://bit.ly/uyFiQh

Save close to 2.5 million lives a year; avoid crop losses amounting to 32 million tonnes annually? http://bit.ly/uyFiQh

[Fr] Pour le climat comme pour la dette, la sobriété plutôt que la rigueur http://dlvr.it/xZ2rx

Global warming to swamp one-third of NYC’s streets http://bit.ly/vRWeXK

The city of Groesbeck, TX provides a look at life inside a record-setting drought http://ow.ly/7AiBP

By 2050 hydrofluorocarbons could be responsible for emissions comparable to total current annual transport emissions http://bit.ly/sw31Wo

I am not a huge fan of #NOOP Not On Our Planet. I prefer Not On Planet Earth : N.O.P.E. Much more telling(via @grist )

Over 50% of the climate change challenge can be profitably addressed today http://me.lt/9P8mzx

Energy and cleantech

Algae jet fuel helps power United Airlines flight http://smrt.io/ucleNC

Oozing Biofuel: Algae Could Solve World’s Fuel Crisis – SPIEGEL ONLINE – http://spon.de/adqcP

A Five-Step Program for Ending Our Oil Addiction http://bit.ly/sr3QWm

6 Truths About Solar Energy http://bit.ly/w4ilUW

Feed-in tariffs responsible for most renewable energy http://bit.ly/sGJvNE

Africa’s biggest power utility polluter pledges to fight global warming http://bit.ly/vVerHG

Solar in the Asia Pacific Region Booms: China’s 2011 Installs May Surpass America’s for the First Time http://bit.ly/rZZapB

China outlines its aggressive push to cut emissions, calls on nations to “join hands” to promote low-carbon economy http://nyti.ms/v3UwmF

How to bridge the world’s emission gap by 2020! UNEP report, co-ordinated by @Ecofys, launch in London, tomorrow 11:30: http://bit.ly/BridGap

Renewable Energy Investment To Double Globally By 2020 – But Is Just One-Third Of What’s Needed : TreeHugger http://www.treehugger.com/energy-policy/renewable-energy-investment-double-2020-one-third-whats-needed.html

It’s Time to Prepare for CleanTech’s Rare Earth Problem : TreeHugger http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/its-time-prepare-cleantechs-rare-earth-problem.html

Canada Boosting Hydro Power to 88.5 GW to Replace US Coal http://cleantechnica.com/2011/11/16/canada-boosting-hydro-power-to-88-5-gw-to-replace-us-coal/

$500 Billion in Fossil Fuel Subsidies; Removing Them Would Boost Growth & Revenues, Reduce GHG Emissions: OECD http://cleantechnica.com/2011/11/17/oecd-urges-removing-fossil-fuel-subsidies-to-boost-growth-revenues-reduce-greenhouse-gas-emissions/

South Korea to Build 2.5 GW Offshore Wind Farm http://cleantechnica.com/2011/11/12/south-korea-to-build-worlds-largest-offshore-wind-farm-domestic-wind-power-industry/

Globally there are >3.5 million direct jobs in renewable energy (REN21), which is more than in oil&gas (±2.5 million, Greenpeace)
#China

Solar Boom Hits 16 Gigawatts solarfeeds.com/china-solar-bo…

Power Barge Could Provide Affordable Wave Power http://bit.ly/sb3eS6

LED Bulb Looks Like Filament Bulb http://bit.ly/sgDYQe

Clever! Geothermal power plants could be a massive source of lithium for batteries http://su.pr/1PmCok via @michael_gr

Tidal power is now a legit source of renewable energy http://fb.me/Sp3T7Q4I

Chief Economist IEA Fatih Birol’s sombre perspective on our energy future: ‘Depressing … disappointing … bad news’ http://bit.ly/vv9V8t

How a Carbon Price Could Reduce Emissions http://blog.cleantechies.com/2011/11/10/how-a-carbon-price-could-reduce-emissions/ via @Cleantechies

IEA’s Jones Says Oil Price Drags on Economy http://bloom.bg/ukWsod #oil

@AlGore: “the tar sands are the dirtiest source of liquid fuel on the planet”

Why is it so hard to stop climate change? In 2010 Fossil fuels got $409 billion, clean energy got $66bn http://gu.com/p/339a9/tw

The International Energy Agency says peak oil came and went — in 2006. http://bit.ly/sQuA8t

RT @grist: Dalai Lama supports nuclear power, disses wind and solar http://bit.ly/uGBPMs

Is geothermal energy the future of clean energy?: http://www.ecofriend.com/entry/big-question-geothermal-energy-future-clean-energy/#.Trhr8Wz37x4.twitter

Bangladesh to build 2 #nuclear #plants by 2018 Read more @Enerdata http://goo.gl/heSPz energy information . #power #plant #nuclear

Sustainable development

How Biking Can Save Cities Billions of Dollars in Health Expenses – Transportation – GOOD http://fb.me/QfRWdwVN

UNEP Billion Tree Campaign Reaches 12 Billion Milestone – http://bit.ly/sJDzT8 #treeplanting #iyf #forests

Reaching a Comfort Level With Geoengineering http://nyti.ms/tgcVqk

“We must view Rio+20 as a unique opportunity to make the fundamental “change of-course” Maurice Strong, former UNEP ED http://bit.ly/tWSfu2

FACT: Toilets have saved more lives than any other invention. Ever. (via @water) #WorldToiletDay

For every dollar spent at a local business, 45 cents is reinvested locally. At corporate chains, it’s just 15 cents. http://bit.ly/1tDvX1

UN: failure to reduce environmental risks will set back human development http://fb.me/1c3I1iFix

Average family of 4 in the US throws away $175 of food per month & around 40% of edible #food gets thrown away. http://goo.gl/EoGQd @NRDC

Misc

Developing WordPress Locally With MAMP http://wp.smashingmagazine.com/2011/09/28/developing-wordpress-locally-with-mamp/ via @smashingmag

38 Magical Forest Photographs http://zite.to/vbERiE

“Optimism is a prediction that everything is going to end okay. Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up. I am very hopeful.” @FredKrupp

Tuesday, the conservative Congress decided that pizza is a vegetable.Can smaller gov repubs please tell me where I can get some pizza seeds?

National Geographic Photo Contest 2011 http://fb.me/zLL5SXJz

We never know the worth of water till the well is dry. – Thomas Fuller (1732)

Related posts:

1. Worth an article – my April 2011 tweets
2. Worth an article – my August 2011 tweets
3. Worth an article – my November 2010 tweets
4. Worth an article – my September 2011 tweets
5. Worth an article – my June 2011 tweets

I know we shouldn’t cringe to just one solution. But I now believe that nuclear risk and waste free is one day possible. Thorium is already being used in India, and I believe it will be used more and more.

While we are waiting for thorium to be ready for commercialization and its mass use, we should work massively on efficiency and renewables.

Without further ado, here is the documentary :

I look forward to reading your opinion. Will we see in our lifetimes thorium-based nuclear ? Will it make a difference ?

Related posts:

1. Toward risk-free nuclear with Thorium ?
2. An overview of future fission nuclear technologies
3. Hydrogen: A dream or delusion?
4. Could fusion be a solution to our problems ?
5. Obama’s environment dream team: Steven Chu

Much more safer, without the need to be enriched, Thorium is also four times more abundant than Uranium. Molten salt reactors could also recycle the waste of current reactors.

In today’s post we will have a look at the various other advantages of this still not commercially developped technology.

Indeed, several websites – like The Guardian and TreeHugger – have dedicated recently articles to this potential energy source.

GreenTech Media offers the most comprehensive. Here are some extracts :

Thorium is a heavy element that is far more abundant than uranium. It is up to 200 times more energy-dense than uranium — and it’s also cheap. Thorium is a major waste product of rare-earth metal mining, and aside from nuclear fuel, it has few commercial uses.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s work with molten salt reactors began in the 1960s. Small test reactors ran successfully for a decade. In 1976, however, the program was shut down.

Theories as to why abound: political issues with the Nixon administration; Honeywell and GE pushing to stick with the uranium light water reactor designs they’d already invested in; and even the fact that the thorium cycle couldn’t be used to produce enriched uranium plutonium by-products.

Brooklyn-based Motherboard recently released a documentary covering the history of the thorium reactor.  (Nota : The Thorium Dream )

Thanks in part to the Fukushima disaster and the public’s increased interest in lessening fossil fuel use, thorium has received new interest in recent years. China, India, Japan, France, Russia and the U.S. are all currently developing thorium-based reactors, with various degrees of commitment.

India is already well into its thorium fuel development. The country’s three-stage nuclear power plan laid out in the ’50s was designed specifically to take advantage of India’s vast thorium reserves. India has taken a more conventional route, utilizing uranium-catalyzed pressurized heavy water reactors that use thorium compounds as breeder fuel to produce more uranium.

The articles goes on. Please make sure to read the full version.

The Guardian’s article focuses on how much more safer Thorium based energy generation would be and how it wouldn’t generate any waste.

Please also have a look at what I was saying about Thorium in my overview of future fission nuclear technologies.

Will we see Thorium based reactors in a near future ? Will it compete with current reactors or replace them ? In any case, this is one technology we will have to keep an eye on.

Related posts:

1. An overview of future fission nuclear technologies
2. The end of nuclear waste ? Part II
3. A real nuclear renaissance is under way
4. 10 reasons to support nuclear power
5. Iran starts its first nuclear reactor

More countries will be doing the same, namingly the United States and China. The latter will start banning 100-watt bulbs in October 2012. Last year over a billion of these bulbs were sold in the People’s Republic.

To Grist : ” The ban will save China 48 billion kilowatt hours of power per year. Which, if I’m doing my math right, is the equivalent of almost 100 nuclear reactors or large coal-fired power plants. “

Related posts:

1. EU bans incandescent light bulbs by 2010
2. A controversy on low-energy light bulbs
3. AREVA to sell two EPR reactors to China
4. More efficiency, wind power and nuclear for China
5. China becomes the world’s first energy consumer

Global greenhouse gases emissions rose by SIX percent compared to 2009. This represents no less than 564 million more tons of carbon. Out of this, China is responsible for almost half of it alone. US emissions kept rising too…

Such an increase – when we have to stabilize our emissions and even slash them by a factor three by 2050 – is a really bad omen for our common future…

But as Grist notes, there are some good news :

Developed countries that ratified the Kyoto Protocol did actually succeed in reducing their emissions since the agreement was signed in 1997. So if we can get developing countries, and backwards ones like the U.S., up to speed, maybe we still have a chance.

I indeed noted that European Union has managed to keep its emissions from climbing while its economy grew. Now, we just need to do that for the whole Planet… It will be a huge task that will need our undivided attention to all of us.

This is even more the case as Treehugger reports this increase exceed worst case scenario previously presented by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2007.

I know this sounds foolish, but I persist in saying that we need nuclear. We need ALL means to prevent the worse from occurring. Yes to renewables, a huge resounding YES to efficiency and conservation but also yes to nuclear.

And we need to act fast as a study carried out by the Massachussets Institute of Technology that business as usual scenarios would lead to an increase of 10°F of global temperatures by 2095.

I will publish this week another article on the very subject, so stay tuned…

Related posts:

1. Global CO2 emissions up by 45% since 1990
2. Global wind capacity grew 24 percent in 2010
3. IEA : Global CO2 emissions decreased
4. Germany to cut its emissions by 40 percent
5. World CO2 emissions rose by 3.1 percent last year

First and foremost, the reactor number 2 of Fukushima ” had probably experienced “spontaneous” fission “ according to an official quoted by the Agence France Presse.

Furthermore, it has been estimated that fully decommissioning Fukushima could take no less than 30 years. All this could have terrible consequences for the whole industry.

In Europe, Belgium is thinking about phasing out nuclear as early as 2015. Given the high price that will be paid by Germany, one asks if it is the right move.

Meanwhile, Electricité de France announced the construction of its four plants in the United Kingdom will be delayed.

Last but not least, Mexico has ditched its plans to build new nuclear power plants…

Related posts:

1. Good and bad news about nuclear
2. My opinion about the German decision on nuclear
3. Why Merkel’s reelection may be good news for climate
4. Can the Chinese nuclear expansion be safe ?
5. Countries with more than 30 percent of nuclear

” (…) Other former Soviet bloc nations, now in the European Union, are following the Czechs’ lead on nuclear power – reflecting diverging economic needs between east and west. ”

” Slovakia is currently building more nuclear facilities. And Poland has engaged in talks with firms about know-how and technology for its first nuclear installation to be completed by 2030. “

This is a sharp reminder that even if Germany and Switzerland are ditching the atom for renewable energy, many nations are planning or plan to build reactors in Europe and around the world.

Related posts:

1. Countries with more than 30 percent of nuclear
2. My opinion about the German decision on nuclear
3. Vietnam, Bulgaria and Kuwait to build nuclear reactors
4. A real nuclear renaissance is under way
5. Poland and Lithuania are thinking about nuclear

However, I don’t blog as much as I would like to and generally write around 25 posts per month. But many more news are worth reading. This is why I use Twitter to share more news that are worth your time.

I believe it offers a good complement to this website. So if you are on Twitter and like this selection, don’t hesitate to start following me.

Climate change and environmental issues

China’s per capita CO2 emissions could match or exceed U.S. levels by 2017, new report predicts. http://bit.ly/ousDGN

RT @jaketapper: Obama at fundraiser hits Perry as “a governor whose state is on fire denying #climate change.”

RT @ZainShaban: Success! NYC Lowered Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 12% Since 2005 | Inhabitat New York City http://t.co/RwpoSdBr

More Americans Understand World is Warming — Thanks to Rick Perry, Reports Reuters http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/09/16/321246/public-opinion-world-is-warming-rick-perry-reports-reuters/

Henry Bellingham: ” #ClimateChange is a threat multiplier. But we can make #lowcarbon, #climate resilient growth a security multiplier”

Less than half the U.S. has dark enough night skies to see the Milky Way. Here’s how to change that: http://t.co/1vdVBm5

Nine straight months of extreme weather and 10 major disasters have taken a devastating economic toll on the U.S. http://ow.ly/6mxhV

Les Français sont les Européens les plus préoccupés par le réchauffement climatique http://t.co/rqA1lhn

The Star: Global warming could lead to global warring http://t.co/n7okMN5

Stadium-sized artificial floating volcano aims to fix Earth’s climate http://bit.ly/q6Hphq #geoengineering

Protecting just 4% of the oceans at 9 locations could save most marine mammals species – what are we waiting for? http://t.co/ogMqyok

New York’s one-inch escape from Irene: http://www.grist.org/climate-change/2011-08-30-the-one-inch-escape via @grist that’s 2.5 cm… Not much !

—

Energy and cleantech

Peak coal in China means the country’s desperate for renewables http://t.co/vvxyrem

Nuclear Power Still The Energy of The Future After Fukushima http://t.co/0EmoZnr

Coal Shortages Speed Up China’s Clean Power Plans http://cleantechnica.com/2011/08/30/coal-shortages-speed-up-chinas-clean-power-plans/ via @cleantechnica

Japon : l’Abandon de l’énergie nucléaire coûterait $ 280 Mds http://t.co/DygKCcLL

If you think standard #solar PV panels are too inefficient at 15%, this post will provide some much-needed perspective. http://t.co/b2kspztB

RT @EnergyCollectiv: Farmers Harvesting The Power of Solar Energy by @energynownews http://t.co/hCCIjZa0

Peak #coal comes to Appalachia—by 2015, production will be half what it was in 2008 http://bit.ly/qxm8oP

Kind of a big deal: $1.6 billion coming for energy efficiency projects http://www.grist.org/energy-efficiency/2011-09-21-kind-of-a-big-deal-1.6-billion-coming-for-energy-efficiency-proj

The military’s historic embrace of smart energy http://www.grist.org/renewable-energy/2011-09-21-the-militarys-historic-embrace-of-smart-energy

UK Solar Capacity Grows 900% in 18 Months http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/09/uk-solar-capacity-grew-900-percent.php

Creating 1 Million Energy Efficiency Jobs is “a No-Brainer”: Bill Clinton http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/09/creating-one-million-energy-efficiency-jobs-bill-clinton-says-its-a-no-brainer.php

+330,000 Jobs in 2 Decades from Energy Efficiency | CleanTechnica http://cleantechnica.com/2011/09/21/330000-jobs-in-2-decades-from-energy-efficiency/

Responding to a Trillion-Dollar Call to Retrofit Buildings: http://cleantechnica.com/2011/09/28/responding-to-a-trillion-dollar-call-to-retrofit-buildings/

Oil drilling wastes 100 million cubic feet of natural gas a day http://t.co/mP2wSobp

Peugeot Jumps on the Tiny-e-Car Bandwagon: http://cleantechnica.com/2011/09/27/peugeot-jumps-on-the-tiny-e-car-bandwagon/

“For those people who said #cleantech investing is a disaster, I can say we have generated huge profits.” -Vinod Khosla

RT @grist: Navy Secretary says getting off fossil fuels is just like ditching sail power: http://t.co/WWilYUm1

4 tons of sand & soil are removed, dumped for every 1 barrel of oil from tar sands: Facts on #tarsands http://su.pr/1PuXwb

EDF #Climate Corps Unearths $650 Million in #Energy Savings http://t.co/BevYu5Rm

World oil use seen up 27% by 2035 http://t.co/E3weIlGo

U.S. Solar PV Pipeline Up to 24 GW http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/09/u-s-solar-pv-pipeline-up-to-24-gw

RT @GE_EnergyFlex: Did you know #retrofitting homes with #energysaving upgrades will provide employment? http://t.co/PpcCyuW

How China is Going to Own the Solar Industry http://t.co/GfxqRML

Energy Efficiency Must Have a Starring Role in Putting America Back to Work http://clmpr.gs/oLJ7QF via @thinkprogress

Industry: Solar electricity to undercut coal in parts of Europe by 2013 – 05 Sep 2011 http://goo.gl/NyQpn

—

Sustainable development

This Company Turns Plastic Bottles Back Into Crude Oil http://su.pr/2awykj (@GOOD stuff) NOW this is AMAZING !

Croissance économique : une obsession absurde | Atlantico http://t.co/zHSrDMkK

8 million worldwide have watched 24 Hours of Reality. Share #Reality with your friends http://bit.ly/24rlty Keep us growing!

Swimming pools don’t have to be insults to the planet http://t.co/l6VZ4dF4

1.4 billion people still don’t have electricity, 85% in rural areas #GEinvest

Getting the facts straight on green jobs: http://t.co/Mzddvuj0

It’s The Ecology, Stupid. There Are No Profits Without a Stable Planet. (Video) http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/09/ecology-stupid-profits-planet.php

7 billion in 7 minutes: Science magazine explains it all [VIDEO] http://t.co/kSKGVopG

—

Misc

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” Lao Tzu

How can job seekers create a positive online presence? Check out 5 ways to enhance your #LinkedIn profile. http://ow.ly/6AjiB

Just ate an organic kiwi. It’s like I got a rainbow in my mouth now… Eat #organic, your taste buds will thank you

RT @VanJones68 Texas unemployment DOUBLED from 4.2% to 8.4% during Perry’s tenure as Gov DESPITE oil.

“I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying.” Oscar Wilde

Absolutely great Nature Quotes – http://goo.gl/kl9bI I think I will add some of them to my blog footer ^^

Dear Sarah Palin, I don’t want to take my country back. I want to take my country forward. Signed, A Real #American. #USA #GOP

Related posts:

1. Worth an article – my August 2011 tweets
2. Worth an article – my April 2011 tweets
3. Worth an article – my June 2011 tweets
4. Worth an article – my February 2011 tweets
5. Worth an article – my July 2011 tweets

” Increased energy efficiency, nuclear energy and the growing contribution of renewable energy are not compensating for the globally increasing demand for power and transport, which is strongest in developing countries.”

(…) After a 1% decline in 2009, global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions increased by more than 5% in 2010, which is unprecedented in the last two decades (…) “

but similar to the increase in 1976 when the global economy was recovering from the first oil crisis and subsequent stock market crash.

(…) Over the period 1990-2010, in the European Union and Russia CO2 emissions decreased by 7% and 28% respectively, while the USA’s emissions increased by 5% and the Japanese emissions remained more or less constant.

(…) At present, the USA emits 16.9 tons CO2 per capita per year, over twice as much as Europe with 8.1 tons. By comparison, Chinese per capita CO2 emissions of 6.8 tons are still below the Europe average, but now equal those of Italy.

For further data, please check out the article on Cleantechies or the original post from the Environmental News Network.

Related posts:

1. China has per capita emissions higher than France
2. 3 US States to cut emissions by 25 % below 1990
3. IEA : Global CO2 emissions decreased
4. A brief look at global carbon dioxide emissions
5. Australian per capita emissions larger than US

Now, let’s congratulate the main European economic powerhouse for that. The Germans truly deserve it and we got to give credit where credit is due. But, to me their decision to ditch nuclear – and doing it so fast – is a bad decision.

This is the case for two reasons : 1. the country will have to build new coal and gas fired plants ; 2. Its electricity is already much dirtier than the European average.

All this occurs as the IEA points to the fact that ” Chances to limit rising temps “bleaker ”. As I noted previously in front of the massive climate and energy scarcity problems, it is not about nuclear OR renewables as we need both of them.

I noted this week that natural gas isn’t a solution to curb our emissions…

Oddly enough, even if Germany has shut some of its reactors, it keeps on relying nuclear as it is importing some from neighboring countries like the Czech Republic or France. See this interesting article on Der Spiegel for more.

Where the United Kingdom embraced pragmatism and uses all possibilities – efficiency, renewables and nuclear – to stop climate change and slash its emissions, Germany has remained dogmatic because of the Greens and thus ditched nuclear. Schade !

Related posts:

1. Is it really about nuclear OR renewables ?
2. Renewables deliver 20% of global electricity
3. My opinion about the German decision on nuclear
4. Californian electricity to be 33 % renewables
5. EU to use 20 percent of renewables for energy by 2020

However, I don’t blog as much as I would like to and generally write around 25 posts per month. But many more news are worth reading. This is why I use Twitter to share more news that are worth your time.

I believe it offers a good complement to this website. So if you are on Twitter and like this selection, don’t hesitate to start following me.

Climate change and environmental issues

• The Hindu: Climate change impact significant on insects and plants http://bit.ly/pjSO8g
• As Nelson would say in the Simpsons : ” HAHA !! ” Fox News accidentally acknowledges the facts on global warming: http://t.co/RJ4EffA
• The Republican Presidential Candidates’ Assault on Science (Video) : TreeHugger http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/08/republican-candidates-assault-science-video.php via @TreeHugger Flat Earthers…
• Studies by @UN and @USArmy show climate change could lead to civil unrest http://ow.ly/6cwSy
• U.S. carbon emissions jumped nearly 4 percent in 2010 http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/18/us-usa-emissions-carbon-idUSTRE77H67920110818 Yes FOUR percent in a single year !
• -But some say there is no such thng than climate change RT @TreeHugger: Extreme Weather Cost $35 Billion This Year in US http://t.co/12RIUgR
• US Breaks Heat Records as Republicans End Record-Keeping: http://cleantechnica.com/2011/08/08/us-breaks-heat-records-as-republicans-end-record-keeping/ Bad – or excellent – timing. Depend on which side you are…
• Arctic Ice Thinning 4 Times Faster Than Predicted by IPCC Models, Semi-Stunning M.I.T. Study Finds http://clmpr.gs/qAVhj3
• Reuters : Durban talks unlikely to strike climate deal: UN. http://bit.ly/oxWr0J repetita non placent… :/
• Arctic sea ice area over 25% less than what it should be on August 1; still roughly on course of disaster year 2007; http://t.co/KMrMyFS

Energy and Cleantech

• Guest Post: An Extreme Makeover for Energy Efficiency : Greentech Media http://fb.me/yWxD9bfl
• Solyndra To File for Bankruptcy; 1,100 Lose Jobs http://t.co/ZadqYF4
• Number of electrified vehicles to increase 4,500 percent in six years: http://www.grist.org/list/2011-08-24-number-of-electrified-vehicles-to-increase-4500-percent-in-six-y
• Some perspective on #solar. U.S. Exported $5.6 Billion in Solar Goods Last Year http://t.co/ApXIKgm
• U.S. Geologists Sharply Cut Estimate Of Shale Gas – NYTimes.com 1/5 of the estimate ! one fifth !!! - http://t.co/a66dIeo
• New Jersey Governor Vetoes Fracking Ban – Wants One Year Moratorium Instead http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/08/new-jersey-governor-vetoes-fracking-ban.php Tsss…
• Considering Methane as a Renewable Fuel http://t.co/CswqKry
• The $200 Billion Energy Question: The U.S. stands at an energy crossroads. With or without new dir… http://t.co/qiPBHJF
• Can Old Coal Plants Be Replaced With Energy Efficiency? http://soc.li/SbV3jXQ Good question !
• Nuclear Power Still The Energy of The Future After Fukushima http://t.co/vdifXDr
• US consumes 216 barrels of crude oil per *second*. That’s a river of oil 5 ft deep and 35 ft wide, continuously flowing at 5 mph !
• World consumes 1,000 barrels of crude oil per second. That’s a river of 20 metre wide and 3 metre deep, flowing at 10 km/h!
• How Wind Helps Coal Plants: The sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow, but guess what? Coa… http://t.co/TDY83rM
• Energy Use in NYC Schools is Down 11% Since 2008. Thanks to Post-It Notes. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/08/energy-use-nyc-down-11-percent-post-its.php $350k saved per year !
• Blog: Top Ten Highlights of Cleantech in the European Union http://bit.ly/ql3j7B #energy #green #cleantech
• RT @nytimesgreen: Countdown to a Nuclear Renaissance? http://bit.ly/r6Nsbm

Sustainable development

• World Resources Institute and Fortune 500 Companies Launch Sustainable Business Partnership : TreeHugger http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/07/world-resources-institute-fortune-500-launch-sustainable-business-partnership.php
• A new report, “Stop Trashing the Climate” found more recycling, waste prevention & composting in the US coul… (cont) http://t.co/oWYm1AB
• Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans. -Jacques Cousteau
• In the US, the ratio of defense spending to #renewables spending is 41:1. In China, the ratio is 3:1. http://t.co/OpxrwS2
• A Triple Bottom Line Approach to Local Food Production http://bit.ly/nqcsTQ
• 766 CEOs Discuss Sustainability: Accenture’s Sector-by-Sector Report – http://ht.ly/63PYt

Economy

• FOUR crises for the price of one ? (Middle East, European Union, China and America) Sounds legit. What do you… http://t.co/GQBbL4n
• Probability of a double-dip recession above 80% according to modeling by BofA http://t.co/6INAAKp
• RT @Visually: Will Water Be The Oil Of The 21st Century? #Infographic http://j.mp/pqcumA

Misc

• My first picture of thunder : http://bit.ly/o59GJT Yes, it’s blurry, yes it’s not really great but I am proud nonetheless ^^ #photography
• Kids Sing Portal “Still Alive” This is just brilliant ! http://t.co/7KGlF4N
• Meet Buck http://bit.ly/hHpYes Great animated short !
• Discover the future at the 2011 World Science Fiction Convention: http://t.co/Ljt4rHS

Related posts:

1. Worth an article – my February 2011 tweets
2. Worth an article – my May 2011 tweets
3. Worth an article – my April 2011 tweets
4. Worth an article – my June 2011 tweets
5. Worth an article – my July 2011 tweets

Now some experts are questioning whether China can safely operate a host of nuclear plants.” Indeed, building so many reactors in such a little time seems dangerous, especially if as the article goes :

” The International Energy Agency suggests that 30 new nuclear reactors must be built each year between now and 2050 to cut CO2 emissions in half. “

(It might be even more as they strongly believe in CCS and it isn’t really successful…)

China has had a recent history of fast progress finally ending badly. The recent high speed train accident comes to mind. So, can the People’s Republic safely build and operate scores of reactors in such a little time ?

If the recent accident in Fukushima proved one thing is that we got to take nuclear very very VERY seriously and that one tiny mistake can have HUGE repercussions.

I am not sure the Chinese alone can build so many reactors in such a little time. A similar scenario to what occured in Zhejiang province would be more than disastrous…

Likewise, can the world build so many reactors in such a little time ? I think France did it ? Could we do it again ? I believe so. With strong watchdogs, and increased security measures. Improved reactors like the EPR come to mind…

(Nota: NO, this doesn’t change my opinion regarding nuclear, I am still favorable to it. But it has to be very well taken care of…)

Related posts:

1. A real nuclear renaissance is under way
2. Vietnam, Bulgaria and Kuwait to build nuclear reactors
3. Italy to build four nuclear reactors by 2020
4. Poland and Lithuania are thinking about nuclear
5. Nuclear power plants in the Middle East ?

And some bad : To the Wall Street Journal ” EDF announced that its EPR project in Flamanville, France (…) will be delayed until 2016, due to “both structural and economic reasons,” which will bring the project’s total cost to EUR6 billion.”

The reactor was due to start in 2014 and to cost much less… Meanwhile, China announced a nuclear power breakthrough by switching on its first fast breeder reactor.

Related posts:

1. No (good) news from the Bonn Climate Talks
2. February 2009 solar news
3. Italy to build four nuclear reactors by 2020
4. Countries with more than 30 percent of nuclear
5. EPR reactor is being built in France

The reactors could go online in 2020 if an agreement was signed in 2014. The capacity would reach 3,000 MW. The country relies on highly polluting coal for 94 percent of its electricity to date. (source)

As its electricity consumption is due to increase over the next decades significantly, and as something has to be done on climate change, it is willing to diversify its energy sources.

Meanwhile, Lithuania is thinking about replacing an old soviet-era reactor with a new model from GE as well as Bloomberg noted earlier this month.

As Bloomberg notes :

The Lithuanian project, GE’s record of on-time delivery and its presence in Poland should give it a competitive edge against rivals that may include Westinghouse Electric Co. LLC and France’s Areva SA, according to Daniel L. Roderick, senior vice president of nuclear plant projects.

“We will be very aggressive about our bid,” Roderick said in an interview in Warsaw on July 28. “Running two projects at the same time close to each other could help us reduce costs. Also, a lot of the workforce and materials for the Lithuanian plant will come from Poland,” he said.

Related posts:

1. Is it really about nuclear OR renewables ?
2. Italy to build four nuclear reactors by 2020
3. Vietnam, Bulgaria and Kuwait to build nuclear reactors
4. Countries with more than 30 percent of nuclear
5. US electricity : more nuclear and less coal

However, I don’t blog as much as I would like to and generally write around 25 posts per month. But many more news are worth reading. This is why I use Twitter to share more news that are worth your time.

I believe it offers a good complement to this website. So if you are on Twitter and like this selection, don’t hesitate to start following me.

Climate change and environment

Four nations form front against climate change Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal http://bit.ly/qTEdk1

The New Normal: Billion-Dollar Disasters http://t.co/84zmoxz

It’s Hotter Than It Used to Be; It’s Not as Hot as It’s Going to Be http://huff.to/na1C1F @huffingtonpost (much better than tornado piece!)

Globally, June 2011 was 7th hottest ever measured on land+ocean (http://t.co/Lk1dsoO, +0.50C), 6th on land (http://t.co/UDpGjF0, +0.64C)

Study: Earth losing its climate change defenses: http://ow.ly/5Hv2w

Sustainablog: More Evidence of the Importance of Forests: They’re Even Bigger Carbon Sinks than Thought http://bit.ly/pSgZYz

RT @debidanowski: @TreeHugger: Climate Change Reducing Ocean’s Ability to Absorb Carbon Dioxide http://su.pr/2dYThp #ocean

2011 climate disasters cost a record $265 billion http://ow.ly/5FrfK

Global Warming: Scientists vs. Climate Skeptics (Infographic) http://t.co/IY0p8Xc

Surprise! #Fracking fluid kills trees: http://ow.ly/5CJWn

RT @climateprogress: Arctic Death Spiral: Second Lowest June Sea Ice Extent, Lowest June Volume http://bit.ly/nCp9oI

Worst drought in 60 years brings starvation fears to East Africa ~ http://t.co/aWXBuXS #Eco #ClimateChange #Africa #Conservation

Energy and cleantech

Outstrips both UK & EU targets. RT @adamwerbach Scotland’s plan for 30% #renewables by 2020 could create 40,000 jobs.

Tunisia Commits $2bn to Sell Solar Power to Europe : TreeHugger http://t.co/RcFgOxr 

RT @CleanTechies: Blog: China’s Commitment to Green Technologies – Six Out of Seven Ain’t Bad http://bit.ly/qWAT77 #energy #cleantech #asia

Japan’s Rare Earth Mining on Pacific Ocean Floor Puts Marine Ecosystems at Risk : TreeHugger http://t.co/faoXjkf

RT @CleanTechies: Blog: Future Computers Could Use 1 Million Times Less Energy, Researchers Say http://bit.ly/qMcEis #energy #green #greenit

Nuclear power is fine—it’s corporate power that’s dangerous: http://ow.ly/5yjnU

Tepco bulldozed hill that could have prevented Fukushima disaster http://ow.ly/5CG0E

Solar Cells Can Now Be Printed on Anything, Even Paper and Fabric http://ow.ly/5Crzq #solar #cleantech

RT @grist: Why closing NYC’s only nuclear power plant would be a really bad idea: http://ow.ly/5A6l4

What do u think of this program? RT @HuffPostGreen A Groupon for solar energy? http://t.co/JE6sZLJ

How #thermal #energy conversion can use deep and shallow #water to generate electricity: http://tinyurl.com/3hx8bec

Good article on why the rate of innovation in #solar PV is arguably faster than in any other #energy sector. RT @reworld http://t.co/I7TaSnw

Proposed U.S. Geothermal Exploration and Technology Act seeks to expand geothermal #energy to as much as 100 GW http://bit.ly/q54K3T

What’s the true cost of the emissions from every gallon of gasoline? http://ow.ly/5ELD0

Building on his own PV experience, Jim Hansen runs US & global numbers & pops the renewables-as-cliimate-fix balloon: http://j.mp/JHrenew

RT @GreenLeapFwd: “Urine is liquid gold” http://bit.ly/psiRcm #water #priceless Did LOL (and learned a few things as well…)

Blog: Top Ten Cleantech Initia… http://bit.ly/qhmlv1 #energy #green #cleantech

What The Flush? Solar Toilet Generates Energy from Sewage http://ow.ly/1e0ZIE

Nuclear power plant builder Areva sees new opportunities in safety upgrades and dismantling of existing plants: : http://t.co/2bWCVnP

RT @GE_EnergyFlex: Check out this #infographic showing the #economic benefits of #energy #efficient homes http://tinyurl.com/3gu5cl2

UK Solar Prices Tumble, Boosting Rush of Installations : TreeHugger http://t.co/r8f0LIg

California Overwhelmed by 71 GW of Renewable Project Applications : http://t.co/D8ZPGex

South Korea, Malaysia Discuss Nuclear Energy Cooperation http://t.co/Tc4NwsW

Gazprom Profiting Mightily From German Nuclear Exit http://t.co/iiqfzZG ORLY ? :/

RT @GreenLeapFwd: China claims nuclear breakthrough with 4G fast-neutron reactor – uses uranium 60x more efficiently http://bit.ly/nST6eR

Oil prices are going up and up. Here is a picture taken this afternoon. 1.70€ per liter ! http://lockerz.com/s/122350330

Italy: 30GW of Solar by 2020 http://t.co/2ZtIXR3

Why China is Kicking Our Ass in Clean Tech INFOGRAPHIC http://tinyurl.com/3wcn8gr

Pricing carbon = more expensive energy? W/ funding for efficiency, consumers in #RGGI paying 15-30% less: http://bit.ly/hNg9xt

RT @st_ppi: NRC post-Fukushima task force: 2 new reactor designs meet safety concerns & should proceed “without delay” http://t.co/OEjiy3f

Sustainable development

Reading – WRI and Fortune 500 companies launch sustainable business partnership (@TreeHugger) http://bit.ly/oLL4mK

Good post on the importance of integrating #sustainability into overall strategy. RT @makower Terrific, must-read piece

RT @grist: Worldwide approximately 1/3 of all the food we produce is lost or wasted: http://ow.ly/5PsBT Now this is S I C K ! :/

Everyone thinks Obama is doing a bad job on the environment – http://ow.ly/5MWyY

RT @greenmarketTV: The Ultimate List of Top #Green #Twitter #Power #Users http://su.pr/1t4FW6 and connect to Green Twitter Power Users

Do you know what it takes to get a #green #job ? Hint, it’s not what you think. Find out here http://gmtv.me/75tips2

What does it take to build a #greeneconomy? 2% of global GDP – Green Economy Report

Why we should build a Blue Economy, not a Green one!! http://bit.ly/qlYpOP Excellent video #mustsee

Most of the U.S. could be energy self-sufficient http://ow.ly/5Fv86

Is It Too Late? Living with a World Energy Crisis (Free Report) http://ow.ly/1dPLfW

ROI for Sustainability: Calculating the Cost of Change http://t.co/YQEYbCG RT @triplepundit #susty #csr @csrhub

Misc

Homemade Computer Crafted with Legos, Crunches Numbers for Medical Research http://ow.ly/5IgQV #Gadgets

Related posts:

1. Worth an article – my July 2010 tweets
2. Worth an article – my February 2011 tweets
3. Worth an article – my March 2011 tweets
4. Worth an article – my April 2011 tweets
5. Worth an article – my June 2011 tweets

Will the 21st century be Uranium’s century like the 20th was oil’s and the 19th coal’s ? It is way to early to tell. The century is only ten years old and as oil and coal still account large parts of the world energy mix.

 (Nota : I wrote that review last year and pretty didn’t change anything about it. I am fully aware a huge nuclear accident took place in Fukushima in-between… )

Some speculate we will one day have thousands of reactors. Among them is John Ritch, the head of the World Nuclear Association who believes that within this century we would reach 8,000 reactors.

This is to me completely out of question. This is even more preposterous as saying that the entire world could be powered only by renewables by 2020.

Other energy sources are competing to replace the three hydrocarbons fossil fuels that are coal, oil and natural gas. Solar and wind power both have the ability to account one day for a fifth of the energy mix. Tidal and wave energy have lesser importance but still could fuel entire cities.

But let’s get back to the book per se :

Uranium itself is not dangerous. It has to be enriched to a certain degree and this requires colossal industrial installations. However, « A sphere the size of a grapefruit can eliminate a city », Introduction.

The story of Uranium is detailed throughly from Martin Klaproth’s discovery of Uranium in Berlin (1789) to Enrico Fermi in Italy and the United States and the Manhattan Project that would create the A bomb and change the world for ever.

Shinkolobwe’s reverses of Uranium – then Belgian Congo, today the Democratic Republic of Congo – was used in the Manhattan Project.

More recent developments such as the mining in Australia are also presented.

So far, no one ever used nuclear bombs. This is because of mutually assured destruction (MAD, what a nice acronym for such situation) and the equilibrium of terror.

Among my criticism is that nothing is said about recycling the waste. The only relative topic is how we could keep future people away from our waste.

Proliferation is an important topic and is luckily tackled notably with the Pakistanese and Israeli nuclear program.

The book contains nine chapters :

1. Scalding fruit, which serves as an introduction ;
2. Beginning, or how radioactivity and uranium were discovered ;
3. The Bargain, detailing how Belgium bargained its Congolese uranium
4. Apocalyse, give us details on the Manhattan project and the horrendous exploits of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
5. Two rushes, shows us how the USSR and the US mined Uranium to build their nuclear bombs
6. The Rainbow serpent presents us the mining of Uranium in Australia
7. Instability, or how this resource can fuel our darkest penchants,
8. Renaissance, gives us details on how nuclear energy is coming back after nearly three decades of
9. Legacy, closes the book

Renaissance is a bit too short as it is to my humble opinion the crux, the center of all the book. Knowing the history of uranium and having a detailed look at how it became so important is nice

So for this, I am not giving it a perfect note. I appreciated reading this book but won’t give it more than 16 out of 20. Under the French grading system this is a good grade.

So if you are interested in knowing more closely uranium and don’t really care about learning a lot about the nuclear renaissance under way, read this book, it will give you some fantastic insight of what may well revolutionize our world again the way it did in 1945.

Related posts:

1. Book review : Factor five
2. Book review : Crossing the Energy Divide
3. Book review : The Plundered Planet
4. Book review : The Sustainable MBA
5. Brazil to enrich uranium

I believe these pictures clearly enable us to witness how energy, power, is shaping and altering the United States. Some pictures are oppressing – like the one on the left – while others are depressing. (A few however left me indifferent…)

All these pictures make us question our addiction to energy, or rather energies. It personnally increased my determination to push forward the best energy source of all : efficiency.

(the latter being rather invisible, this goes well into the purpose of the exhibit…)

Here is the story behind these great photographs :

It was the fall of 2003 and I had been hired to photograph a town in the process of being erased. The American Electric Power Company had paid residents of Cheshire a lump sum to leave, never come back, and never complain in the media or in court if they became sick from environmental contaminates spewed out of the AEP plant. The company was buying itself a lawsuit-free future. Back in New York, I could not get Cheshire out of my mind.

(…) Six months later, in the spring of 2004, I began to make pictures of the production and consumption of energy in the United States. I wanted to photograph the relationship between American society and the American landscape, and energy was the linchpin; this much I had gleaned from Cheshire.

Energy—how it was made, how it got used, and the ramifications of both—would therefore be my focus. For the next five years, I traveled the country making photographs at or near energy production sites: coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear, hydroelectric, fuel cell, wind, and solar. It was a strange kind of tourism: energy tourism.

As it was the last day of the exhibit in Paris, you can always see it on the official website : whatisamericanpower.com. I look forward to reading your opinion. In any case, enjoy !

Related posts:

1. More efficiency, wind power and nuclear for China
2. The potential of tidal power
3. Over 7,800 MW of geothermal power for the USA
4. Global clean power: A $2.3 trillion opportunity
5. Solar power plants face problems in California

The climate situation there is dreadful as according to CNN massive floods forced 1.6 million people to evacuate their homes. It is indeed high time for all of us to act as forcefully as China is. It indeed seems the local government got it right.

Massive plans on energy efficiency, renewables and nuclear are planned in order to curb the increasing reliance of the country on coal and oil, two major pollution sources.

On energy efficiency. As the New York Times note :

The Chinese government is considering plans to subsidize the use of energy-efficient materials and renewable energy technologies in new buildings and is encouraging provincial and municipal governments to impose stricter efficiency standards than the national minimums, Chinese officials said Wednesday.

China’s heightened interest in saving energy — a response to electricity shortages and blackouts this year as well as longer-term security worries about dependence on energy imports — comes as the country’s construction industry continues to barrel ahead at a breathtaking pace.

(…) Chinese estimates show that the country’s commercial office buildings use 10 to 20 percent less electricity per square meter than comparable Western buildings. But the savings tend to come not from better designs but from thermostats set as high as 26 degrees Celsius (79 Fahrenheit) in summer and as low as 18 degrees (64 Fahrenheit) in winter.

Nota : On the last point, we should do the same here. This is what I call energy sobriety…

—

On wind energy. To People’s Daily Online :

In the next five years, China will boost its offshore wind power installed capacity to 5 gigawatts and form a complete technology and industrial chain. Afterward, China’s offshore wind power will enter into a phase of large-scale development and is estimated to reach 30 gigawatts in 2020, according to the energy plan and renewable energy plan during the 12th Five-Year Plan.

The National Energy Bureau (NEB) will launch preparation work for the second public bidding on offshore wind power concession projects in the second half year of 2011 and is scheduled to complete the bidding in the first half year of 2012. The total construction scale will be between 1.5 gigawatts and 2 gigawatts, according to news from a symposium on offshore wind power held in Nantong City of east China’s Jiangsu Province on June 22.

—

On nuclear energy. To Indian Express :

China, which suspended approvals for new nuclear plans following the radiation crisis in a Japanese plant, would soon begin the approval process. China could resume the approval process for new nuclear power projects by mid-2012, the state-run China Daily reported today.

“To restart the approval procedure in one year is the optimistic estimate, but the country will definitely lift the suspension in two years,” Director of the research centre of the China Nuclear Energy Association Zheng Yuhui was quoted as saying by the paper.

(…) The crisis at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant might delay some new projects in China, but it will not stop the country from achieving its target of building 70 to 80 gigawatts (gW) of installed production capacity by the end of 2020, Shen Wenquan, a member of the expert committee of the State Nuclear Power Technology Corp Ltd said.

—

To conclude, I think China got it right.

The country is indeed working on the three parts of the low carbon energy : efficiency, renewables and nuclear. So, I still believe the People’s Republic will win the cleantech arms race…

Related posts:

1. China becomes the world leader in wind power
2. Can China increase tenfold its nuclear capacity ?
3. Developing nations go massively in wind power
4. World’s latest news on wind power
5. China wants 500 GW of renewables by 2020

” As dependent as Japan is on nuclear power, 12 nations are even more reliant it, according to the World Nuclear Association. Using 2007 data, here are the Top 10 most nuclear-dependent nations. ”

As you may perhaps remember I believe this energy source could provide 40 percent of the electricity of the United States and the European Union. This would enable both to cut their emissions.

Here is the list of countries :

• Hungary, 37 percent ;
• Armenia, 39.4 percent ;
• Slovenia, 40 percent ;
• Switzerland, 40 percent ;
• South Korea, 40 percent ;
• Sweden, 42 percent ;
• Ukraine, 48 percent ;
• Belgium, 54 percent ;
• Slovakia, 55 percent ;
• France, 75 percent. (Yes, we are first !! )

As one can easily note, five of these countries are former soviet republics. I am just wondering if all these reactors are as safe as the ones used in Chernobyl…

Meanwhile, Germany just decided to stop using this energy source by 2022. As you can easily imagine I don’t think this is the right move regarding climate change mitigation as I believe we need both renewables and nuclear.

Related posts:

1. EU to use 20 percent of renewables for energy by 2020
2. Italy to build four nuclear reactors by 2020
3. Is it really about nuclear OR renewables ?
4. Nuclear power plants in the Middle East ?
5. Jordan, Chile and many others are going nuclear

” The revelation has raised fears that the situation at the plant, where fuel in three reactors suffered meltdown, was more serious than government officials have acknowledged. “ When you think a situation can’t possibly get worse, it does.

Even if I still support the technology to prevent more catastrophic climate change, I believe the IAEA should really step up rules and regulations to ensure such a catastrophe never occurs again.

The culture of collusion between Japanese officials and the local nuclear industry certainly played a major role in this as the New York Times noted last month.

The Guardian notes something that makes me shiver though :

According to the latest estimates, 770,000 terabequerels – about 20% as much as the official estimate for Chernobyl – of radiation seeped from the plant in the week after the tsunami, more than double the initial estimate of 370,000.

Here is another quote that strongly reinforces my opinion :

Last week, a fact-finding team from the International Atomic Energy Agency criticised Tepco for failing to acknowledge the risk to the plant from a tsunami, despite warnings from government experts and its own scientists.

Related posts:

1. Why Fukushima isn’t a new Chernobyl
2. Vietnam, Bulgaria and Kuwait to build nuclear reactors
3. A look at deaths per TWh by energy source
4. Another anniversary : 25 years after Chernobyl
5. Iran starts its first nuclear reactor

This was the occasion for Ban Ki Moon – the secretary general of the United Nations - to visit Chernobyl. He also published an interesting opinion article in today’s edition of the New York Times.

In this article, Mr Moon outlines a five point strategy to improve nuclear safety and reliability. Only this way will we be able to keep using this low carbon energy source.

Here is a quote of this article :

First, it is time for a top to bottom review of current safety standards, both at the national and international levels.

Second, we need to strengthen the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency on nuclear safety.

Third, we must put a sharper focus on the new nexus between natural disasters and nuclear safety. Climate change means more incidents of freak and increasingly severe weather. With the number of nuclear facilities set to increase substantially over the coming decades, our vulnerability will grow.

Fourth, we must undertake a new cost-benefit analysis of nuclear energy, factoring in the costs of disaster preparedness and prevention as well as cleanup when things go wrong.

Fifth and finally, we need to build a stronger connection between nuclear safety and nuclear security. At a time when terrorists seek nuclear materials, we can say with confidence that a nuclear plant that is safer for its community is also more secure for the world.

Here is Mr. Moon’s conclusion :

The world has witnessed an unnerving history of near-accidents. It is time to face facts squarely. We owe it to our citizens to practice the highest standards of emergency preparedness and response, from the design of new facilities through construction and operation to their eventual decommissioning.

Issues of nuclear power and safety are no longer purely matters of national policy, alone. They are a matter of global public interest. We need international standards for construction, agreed guarantees of public safety, full transparency and information-sharing among nations.

Let us make that the enduring legacy of Chernobyl. Amid the silence there, I saw signs of life returning. A new protective shield is being erected over the damaged reactor. People are beginning to return.

Let us resolve to dispel the last cloud of Chernobyl and offer a better future for people who have lived for too long under its shadow.

Related posts:

1. Why Fukushima isn’t a new Chernobyl
2. Mini-nuclear plants available within five years
3. 10 reasons to support nuclear power
4. Four years : the blog goes on
5. Italy to build four nuclear reactors by 2020

That’s right, now Fukushima is just alongside Chernobyl in the IAEA INES scale. Yet, the catastrophe that is shaking Japan unleashed just a tenth of the radiation Chernobyl unleashed.

At Chernobyl, the whole reactor was destroyed, thus releasing massive radiations, over a large part of Europe. This wasn’t the case at all in Fukushima.

Yet, the situation there could last weeks, months and even years…

I just hope that after this huge catastrophe the IAEA will seriously upgrade safety and transparency measures. This is what they seem to plan to do…

Only at this price will people grow confident again in this energy source.

Many around  the world were demanding nuclear power to be stopped before, now they are gaining more and more voices.

But this would be preposterous as climate change is more and more a problem and as, to me, coal remains the enemy number 1 because of its massive air and soil pollution and huge carbon dioxide emissions.

Related posts:

1. A look at deaths per TWh by energy source
2. Is it really about nuclear OR renewables ?
3. The thirty most polluted places in the world
4. Toward a new golden age for nuclear energy ?
5. Japan to spend $4 billion on climate change

Now I don’t understand the “false choice” of nuclear or fossil fuels. If we have a look at the electricity mix of various countries, it seems it is a real choice for the time being.

Further to my reading of Sustainable energy without hot air – reviewed here – we learn that not all electricity mixes are created equal.

Indeed, the more a country is relying on nuclear, the lesser are its emissions per kWh. Here are some figures :

• France, with a whooping 80 percent of its electricity from nuclear emits 83 grams of CO2 equivalent per kWh,
• Germany, which regards itself as a green nation emits 600 grams per kWh (very little nuclear ) and
• Denmark, the wind energy champion – but with no nuclear at all -  emits a staggering 881 grams of CO2 equivalent per kWh, ten times more than France…

The average European figure is of 353 grams, the US figure is 613 grams and Japan emits between the two : 483 grams.

As I noted in the conclusion of my article :

“Countries with more than 50 percent of their electricity coming from thermal solutions have carbon dioxide emissions superior to 400 grams per kWh.

Meanwhile, countries with less than ten percent of electricity coming from these solutions have carbon dioxide emissions lower than 100 grams per kWh.

Today’s enemy in the face of climate change is not nuclear, it’s coal. Indeed, it is emitting one kilogram per kWh, where nuclear emits around 50 grams. (depending of the life cycle analyses…)

So to me it’s not a question of nuclear or renewables, we need both ! ( Furthermore, they are perfectly complementary… )

Related posts:

1. Italy to build four nuclear reactors by 2020
2. A look at the carbon emissions of electricity
3. EU to use 20 percent of renewables for energy by 2020
4. Californian electricity to be 33 % renewables
5. European Union to exceed its renewables goals

However, I don’t blog as much as I would like to and generally write around 25 posts per month. But many more news are worth reading. This is why I use Twitter to share more news that are worth your time.

I believe it offers a good complement to this website. So if you are on Twitter and like this selection, don’t hesitate to start following me.

Climate change and environment

50 Times More Whales & Dolphins Killed By Gulf Oil Spill Than Officially Reported : TreeHugger http://t.co/zZ0PtR8 #environment #oceans

When this graph reaches bottom (anomaly -13,500km3) end of summer, Arctic will be ice free. Place your bets! http://bit.ly/SeaVol.

A decade after leaving Kyoto, the U.S. still inactive on global warming http://bit.ly/dWY3ED

Experiences of extreme weather events increase climate change concern http://bit.ly/flfuDw

RT @triplepundit Top 10 Climate Change Strategy Consultancies http://bit.ly/hvUMSu #csr #tcot #susty #energy #jobs

Amen! RT @WindSector: “Coal is associated with carbon emissions, and carbon is the fuse that will blow up the planet.” http://bit.ly/gMesjm

Climate change doubters are endangering our common future http://bit.ly/dLyLOH

Nicholas Stern: Climate inaction risks a “global war” – http://clmpr.gs/f9Bj7U

Energy and cleantech

Republicans Join in 33% Renewable Energy Vote in California: http://t.co/sf4dHgj Now that’s awesome. Could they do it in the 49 others ?

Obama’s Energy Speech: Cut Oil Imports, Keep on Fracking, and Fire Up the Nuke Plants : TreeHugger http://t.co/7j93IOs

Does Obama Have a ‘Secret’ Plan to Adapt Nation to Climate Change? : TreeHugger http://t.co/tjoq09Y Should unleash it right now…

Nuclear Power’s Rap: Coal Is Far More Deadly : TreeHugger http://t.co/K2XCGVD wrote about it last week…

Going nuclear: An interactive map of current and future nuclear-power producers. Economist Daily Chart Mar 24th 2011 http://econ.st/fV4wgy

Incredible underwater kite could be the future of renewable ocean energy http://huff.to/gmLAlT via @huffingtonpost

Solar-Powered Desalination Plant Fits on Shipping Container for Disaster Relief : TreeHugger http://t.co/S6AYP5t

RT @CleanTechies Bipartisan Bill Wants an End to Corn Ethanol Subsidies http://bit.ly/fP7ddn

The World Just Got Back 13 Terawatt Hours of Spam-Wasted Electricity!: http://t.co/xyazuuH

Les technologies vertes clés pour la France à l’horizon 2015-2020 (Etude) http://bit.ly/geArz7

Belgium now has 740 MW of PV solar power installed, roughly 10 times as much as The Netherlands: http://bit.ly/Bel740

U.S. solar capacity doubled in 2010, may add 2 Gigawatts to double again in 2011: http://bloom.bg/USA2GW

China Takes Lead in Race for Clean Nuclear Power | Wired Science | Wired.com http://bit.ly/gYcuRA

Energy: The really big crunch? http://bit.ly/dGbM7J #IEA

Thank you. RT @rosariodawson @TreeHugger: Gasland is a must-see! Exposes the natural gas industry & dangers of #fracking. http://ow.ly/44t7V

Seems long ago: last December, EIA forecast US oil to cost $ 77 in first quarter of 2011. Now the price is $ 97.

Sustainable development

RT @CleanTechies Making Money, and Changing Lives, by Lighting Rural India http://bit.ly/eHslXe

Stern calls for “industrial revolution” to tackle climate change http://bit.ly/gi40rw

Two-thirds of businesses see climate change as an opportunity rather than a risk http://bit.ly/fF8bpr

Happy World #Water Day! 22 Key Stories for Understanding Water Issues http://ow.ly/4jCwm /definitely time well spent catching up on h2o news

No, we millenials are interested in making a difference AND making a $ http://nyti.ms/fRFO6v #spotwhatswrongwiththispiece cc @endeavoringE

Blog: CSR: A Necessity for Survival? http://bit.ly/f6P4CX #csr #green #environment #susty

Japan and the Fukushima catastrophe

@lemondefr : Quel modèle énergétique pour le Japon de demain ? http://lemde.fr/gC1fqi #Japan electricity mix today and tomorrow

The safest place in Japan right now might be inside a nuke plant http://ow.ly/4pS3k

Visualization of deaths per terawatt/hour of all energy sources. Coal is KING of course: http://j.mp/EnerDed #energy #fukushima

Divergent Lessons from Japan’s Calamity for McKibben, Monbiot http://nyti.ms/fHX3dv

Misc

“The moment I settled for less than I deserved, I got even less than what I settled for.” Beverly D Johnson, Author #quotes #quote #realtalk

“Surround yourself with people most like the person you want to become. Stay away from anyone who can or will bring you down.”Tom Hopkins

High speed trains in France are a bit expansive, but seriously, they are way over 9000 ^^ Paris – Nancy takes 90 min. instead of 4 hours.

35 Beautiful Examples of Nature-Friendly Art for Tree-Huggers http://t.co/pVa1RkX via @onextrapixel Thanks @Hildy77 !

El eco es un retweet de la naturaleza -@LANDEYves

Related posts:

1. Worth an article – my January 2011 tweets
2. Worth an article – my March 2010 tweets
3. Worth an article – my February 2011 tweets
4. Worth an article – my August 2010 tweets
5. Worth an article – my November 2010 tweets

The global death rate for coal is 161 per TWh (15 in the United States), 36 for oil, and a staggering low 0.04 for nuclear. Of course, this doesn’t take into account the people who will die because of the Fukushima accident.

Nonetheless, nuclear will still kill much less people than fossil fuels – and will kill even less if we increase safety measures and transparency of the industry.

Here is the table found at Next Big Future :

An image being much more powerful than words, here is something I found on Seth Godin’s blog :

The table above refers to Banqiao. This name rang a bell as I read about it in a French weekly. This is a name of a Chinese dam, which failure in 1975 killed hundreds of thousands of people.

We haven’t stopped using hydropower afterwards, and nor should we abandon nuclear after Fukushima.

We should however seriously increase safety measures and transparency and of course, start replacing older reactors with new ones.

—

Meanwhile, Fareed Zakaria published an interesting article on CNN :

It’s difficult not to get spooked by terms like “meltdown,” “radiation clouds,” and “radioactive leakage.” But let’s remember that nuclear reactors have operated peacefully, quietly, and safely for decades in countries from Japan to France to the United States.

Over the last five decades, there has been just one nuclear accident that caused any deaths at all – at Chernobyl, and that was a poorly designed reactor, unlike any of the ones in the United States or Japan. It had almost no safety codes or procedures.

The accident at 3 Mile Island in the United States did not actually kill anyone. There was no significant radiation leakage because in the US – as in Japan – all reactors have steel or concrete containers to prevent such leakage. That’s why there were no illness resulting from radiation after the 3 Mile island accident.

And the new plants that have been built in the last decade are safer – the OECD says 1,600 times safer than the old ones. And the 3rd generation reactors being planned now, which will be built later, are safer even than those.

Now, all energy sources have their risks when being extracted.

Oil and coal have far worse safety records than even decades-old nuclear plants. The BP oil spill, for example, was triggered by an explosion that instantly killed 11 workers and then poured 4 millions barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

In a thoughtful article in Slate, Will Saletan does the math and finds that if you add up all the deaths caused by oil explosions and the like, the rate of death per unit of energy extracted is 18 times worse for oil than it is for nuclear energy. With hundreds of people dying in mining accidents, coal is also much more likely to kill people working on it or around it than nuclear. And none of this counts the millions of people who get diseases and die a premature death thanks to pollution.

—

Another article, this time by George Monbiot in the Guardian :

You will not be surprised to hear that the events in Japan have changed my view of nuclear power. You will be surprised to hear how they have changed it. As a result of the disaster at Fukushima, I am no longer nuclear-neutral. I now support the technology.

A crappy old plant with inadequate safety features was hit by a monster earthquake and a vast tsunami. The electricity supply failed, knocking out the cooling system. The reactors began to explode and melt down. The disaster exposed a familiar legacy of poor design and corner-cutting. Yet, as far as we know, no one has yet received a lethal dose of radiation.

Some greens have wildly exaggerated the dangers of radioactive pollution. For a clearer view, look at the graphic published by xkcd.com. It shows that the average total dose from the Three Mile Island disaster for someone living within 10 miles of the plant was one 625th of the maximum yearly amount permitted for US radiation workers.

This, in turn, is half of the lowest one-year dose clearly linked to an increased cancer risk, which, in its turn, is one 80th of an invariably fatal exposure. I’m not proposing complacency here. I am proposing perspective.

This could actually become my 12th reason to support nuclear… What do you think ?

Related posts:

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2. There is no perfect energy generating solution
3. Two news on Chinese energy for the price of one
4. Can the world be powered by 100% renewables ?
5. Energy sprawl is another reason to mix sources

” Researchers (…) are developing a new gas turbine to increase the efficiency of conventional electrical power plants with a generation system that could increase the thermal-to-electric conversion efficiency by 40 to 50 percent.“

Imagine a world where these turbines would be the implemented everywhere : emissions would drop very quickly. For more, read the official press release from Sandia National Laboratories.

Related posts:

1. US electricity : more nuclear and less coal
2. There is no perfect energy generating solution
3. Californian electricity to be 33 % renewables
4. China will burn coal (a little) more efficiently
5. A look at the carbon emissions of electricity

They are right on one point : energy efficiency’s potential is gigantic. Indeed I am reading a book which thesis is that we can cut our energy consumption by 80 percent, hence the title Factor Five. (the review will come soon)

But I don’t think we can really stop using coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear in such a little time. But I would love to be proven wrong (except on nuclear for the reasons I outlined there)

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2. Renewables outpace other fuels in Europe and US
3. IEA publishes its World Energy Outlook 2009
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Indeed President Obama asked for 80% of America’s electricity from ‘clean energy’ by 2035 (including clean coal and natural gas, nobody’s perfect) and for more than one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.

Even more, he called for the suppression of the billions worth of subsidies to Big Oil companies. Let’s hope Congress will give him the means to do all this.

Here is an extract I really enjoyed :

“With more research and incentives, we can break our dependence on oil with biofuels, and become the first country to have 1 million vehicles on the road by 2015.

“We need to get behind this innovation. and to help pay for it, I’m asking Congress to eliminate the billions in taxpayer dollars we current give to oil companies. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but they’re doing just fine on their own. So instead of subsidizing yesterday’s energy, let’s invest in tomorrow’s.

“Now, clean energy breakthroughs will only translate into clean energy jobs if businesses know there will be a market for what they’re selling. So tonight, I challenge you to join me in setting a new goal: by 2035, 80% of America’s electricity will come from clean energy sources.

“Some folks want wind and solar. Others want nuclear, clean coal, and natural gas. To meet this goal, we will need them all — and I urge Democrats and Republicans to work together to make it happen.”

I don’t think we can call biofuels, natural gas and clean coal (the best oxymoron ever if you ask me) good solutions, but I believe President Obama included these to gain support from the farmers and miners and their associated interests.

I don’t know if energy efficiency, the panacea to all our problems, was mentioned, but I know that climate wasn’t. I believe it was done to avoid upsetting some Republicans and deniers…

To read out more : TreeHugger.

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5. Californian electricity to be 33 % renewables

The local government points to the fact that this will decrease the dependence on foreign fossil fuels, improve air quality and create jobs. This is not what I call a gloomy prospect

I don’t understand why not all US States are following their example. This is the boldest plan in the United States. (Colorado comes second)

Currently, a major part of Californian electricity comes from natural gas (between 30 and 40 percent) and hydro power (from ten to 20 percent).

Nuclear brings to the grids around 15 percent of the local electricity and people are less against this energy source than by the past. A similar proportion is brought by renewables.

Could it be replicated to the whole United States ? We have seen extensively that the US can slash their coal consumption by that date and that energy efficiency has a huge potential to reduce emissions.

Related posts:

1. US electricity : more nuclear and less coal
2. Renewables outpace other fuels in Europe and US
3. A look at the carbon emissions of electricity
4. Can the USA get 100 % of their electricity by clean energies ?
5. Brazil to invest $5.5 billion in renewables by 2013

As the environment minister Norbert Röttgen stated, it is “the most ambitious energy programme ever seen, not only in Germany”. The plan will also extend the life of nuclear power plants by an average of twelve years.”

As always, to keep reading the article, please go to CleanTechies. All ratings and comments are greatly appreciated.

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2. Portugal’s bold renewable energy policy
3. New York State unveils solar thermal plans
4. Germany to cut its emissions by 40 percent
5. Why Merkel’s reelection may be good news for climate