Growth and Globalism

Couple of 'reference' ABC Radio National 'Big Ideas' shows recently:

John Ralston Saul is probably the finest mind in history/politics at the moment. Grab anything you can by him.

My favourite book is 'The Unconscious Civilisation', "knowledge has not made us conscious. Instead, we have sought refuge in a world of illusion where language is cut off from reality". I liked the bit about politicians riding the coat tails of corporations which have the real power.

Saul's recent work is nicely previewed on 'John Ralston Saul and The Collapse of Globalism'. Listen to it twice (or read the transcript).

Listening to Tim Jackson, Professor of Sustainable Development, University of Surrey is quite a mind expansion. If we want Growth and a Sustainable Future, get an idea of the scale of the task at 'Prosperity without growth?' I liked the bit about—in 50 years we not only have to stop carbon emissions, we need a society that actually takes carbon back out of the environment! I'm a little less extreme, but I like to look at it this way—if you're a public corporation, you have a duty to your shareholders to move your corporate activities into to the Green economy, or else.

While I'm at it, a couple of other notable Radio National shows:

Check out Saint Peter Garrett (or Commander Gram as he's known in UFO circles) caught out covering up Australia's oil spill. 'The spilling fields'. Sadly, this disaster dropped out of the news because it didn't spoil any beaches.

And if you don't believe the CIA was stirring up trouble and gaming Twitter after the recent Iranian elections, Oil, democracy and a CIA coup describes (among other things) how they actually paid people to fight in the streets in the 1950s.

Nuclear is off the table

Despite Australian Prime Minister's most recent rejection of nuclear power for Australia there is a meme going around here and internationally that Australia is considering nuclear power. I trust that the Prime Minister will stick to his word, despite internal and international pressures - "Our position is clear ... we have a position against nuclear power" and that - there are 'unresolved questions' about nuclear power.

The most recent report by the California Energy Commission states it bluntly - nuclear is more expensive than every renewable energy for power generation. But I'll let Miguel Mendonça, a guest on This Week In Energy explain it:

"I would just direct you to the California Energy Commission's 'Comparative Costs of California Central Station Electricity Generation' in 2009, which says that the levelized cost of a nuclear power plant with the latest technology is the most expensive type of generation. It's more than every single renewable energy source per MWh. And I think the conversation should stop there.

That plant in Texas… having already had their cost estimate doubled originally, just was increased by another $4 billion and the city of I think it's Austin or maybe it's San Antonio which was an investor in that plant is considering pulling its investment out because they're not sure they want to go another $4 billion in for those two generators.

So the idea that nuclear is cheap is a total farce. My car is cheap when I've paid off the loan for it and that's why nuclear energy looks so cheap, but when it comes to building new generation, there's absolutely no reason we should consider using it. It's 2 to 3 times more expensive than other types of technology that we have, and that doesn't even include the fact that we're excusing the producers from any liability from accidents and from having to do anything with the waste."

So when you see figures quoting nuclear power as cheap, remember those figures exclude the cost to build the plants and any costs associated with the waste. Building new nuclear power plants is not an option, anywhere in the world. And that is… the end of the discussion.

References:

This Week In Energy Episode 7 Big or Small

California Energy Commission's report

South Texas Nuclear cost overruns

San Antonio considering withdrawing from nuclear power plant

CNN Money report on the state of nuclear power

Rudd's most recent rejection of nuclear

The Great Disruption

In the podcast of the century, Paul Gilding "explains why physics and biology have determined that our current model for economic growth is finished."

If you read around the edges of this site, you'll realise Paul Gilding is absolutely in tune with these ideas. He has been through the despair of "How are we going to get out of this mess?" and come out the other side, optimistic that the necessary changes are inevitable, that we have the technology already, and rather than feeling powerless, individual action is all that's necessary.

Listen to this podcast every day until you know it word for word. Then play it every day until you understand it. Then play it every day until you take action. Then play it every day because it just makes sense, and there's just not enough 'sense' in the world.

There's no need to riot in the streets. Don't bother lobbying corporations and governments to do what their customers don't want anyway (Paul's observation). You are the customer, if you change, they will change because they like your money/vote.

Let me add a few easy and practical suggestions:

• If you have the option, buy 'green power' from your electricity supplier. If you don't have the option, write to your electricity supplier and ask for 'green power'.
• Get your fruit and vegies from a 'farmer's market'.
• Go out of your way to use public transport. The more people that use it, the more services will be provided.
• If you want an electric car, a good one, write to your car manufacturer and let them know you're not buying a car until they make an 'electric' with the same performance as the current petrol model.

To paraphrase the podcast: We are the people we've been waiting for, so get to it and build a new world.

Refs

The Great Disruption letter (origin of the podcast speech, but the podcast is better)

Paul Gilding's site - if you only read one thing this year, this is it.

Background Briefing podcast - listen to this every day.