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Showing posts with label nuclear power. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nuclear power. Show all posts
Monday, 21 October 2013
The new Nuclear age in the UK
So Britain is to allow new Nuclear power plants to be built for the first time in a long time.
• s
The government has given the go-ahead for the UK's first new nuclear station in a generation.
France's EDF Energy will lead a consortium, which includes Chinese investors, to build the Hinkley Point C plant in Somerset.
Ministers say the deal will help take the UK towards low-carbon power and lower generating costs in future.
Critics warn guaranteeing the group a price for electricity at twice the current level will raise bills.
"For the first time, a nuclear station in this country will not have been built with money from the British taxpayer," said Secretary of State for Energy Edward Da
• ce
The two reactors planned for Hinkley, which will provide power for about 60 years, are a key part of the coalition's drive to shift the UK away from fossil fuels towards low-carbon power.
Ministers and EDF have been in talks for more than a year about the minimum price the company will be paid for electricity produced at the site, which the government estimates will cost £16bn to build.
The two sides have now agreed the "strike price" of £92.50 for every megawatt hour of energy Hinkley C generates. This is almost twice the current wholesale cost of electr
Tive'
This will fall to £89.50 for every megawatt hour of energy if EDF Group goes ahead with plans to develop a new nuclear power station at Sizewell in Suffolk. Doing both would allow EDF to share costs across both projects.
Mr. Davey said the deal was "competitive" with other large-scale clean energy and gas projects.
David Cameron:"It kick-starts again the British nuclear industry"
"While consumers won't pay anything up front, they'll share directly in any gains made from the project coming in under budget," he added.
John Cridland, director-general of business lobby group the CBI, welcomed what he said was a "landmark deal".
"It's important to remember this investment will help mitigate the impact of increasing costs. The fact is whatever we do, energy prices are going to have to go up to replace ageing infrastructure and meet climate change targets - unless we build new nuclear as part of a diverse energy mix."
However, Dr Paul Dorfman, from the Energy Institute at University College London, said "what it equates to actually be a subsidy and the coalition said they would never subsidise nuclear".
He added: "It is essentially a subsidy of between what we calculate to be £800m to £1bn a year that the UK taxpayer and energy consumer will be putting into the deep pockets of Chinese and French corporations, which are essentially their govern
Vests
Chinese companies China National Nuclear Corporation and China General Nuclear Power Corporation will be minority shareholders in the project.
The move follows Chancellor George Osborne's announcement last week that Chinese firms would be allowed to invest in civil nuclear projects in the UK.
Prime Minister David Cameron said that the new Hinkley Point plant was "an excellent deal for Britain and British cons
Well we shall see about that. Little to no mention has been made on nuclear waste and what is to come of that.
All this sounds very good apart from the fact that this will not bring down prices for ordinary people. Nationalisation is one thing the left will call for no doubt but nothing short of workers control will do to ensure affordable prices for all.
I am not in favor of state capitalism and effectively this is what we have here all be it ownership from abroad with China and France getting in on the act it would seem.
The world has a bumpy future in terms of energy if capitalism is allowed to continue to exist I confidently predict. The demand for more and more energy will force the capitalists into more and more risky acts to gain a competitive edge including the controversial practice of fracking which I’ve blogged about before too.
With the first new power station being built in the UK in a generation will this signal a turn back to nuclear in the long term?
All remains to be seen.
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
Why socialists oppose nuclear power and campaign against it
In India today which is a fast growing economy and one of the worlds emerging capitalist powers on the world stage to fuel all this India is turning increasingly towards the nuclear option. this has faced resistance and opposition in India as the CWI has described on www.socialistworld.org.uk
But for all socialists of principles we have always opposed nuclear as a option. It is highly dangerous and despite calls from the capitalists it is not even the cheapest option over the long term.
Jagadish G Chandra, Bangalore, New Socialist Alternative (CWI India)
A war like hysteria has gripped the Indian ruling class, which was initiated by Manmohan Singh and his sycophants especially in the 2nd term of the Congress led UPA, that India must become a superpower at any cost. In their mad pursuit of 8-9% growth rate, this government run by the scoundrels that include Manmohan Singh, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, P Chidambaram and Pranab Mukerhjee are running a circus show by putting the lives of ordinary people in great danger.
In their plea bargain to take India to the top slot of nations by 2020, these so called experts have become the henchmen of the multinational corporations and Indian Capitalist class. They believe, they have given a go by to the environment and social security of the people by stating that nuclear energy is inevitable. In this great cacophony they are using all the nuclear energy sycophants – political, scientific, so called intellectuals who have been hired to start a pro nuclear campaign for the nuclear energy industry.
In the recent times, the world’s attention has been drawn by the anti-nuclear Koodankulam struggle and the determined fight of the people there to shut down the plant. This is something that the Indian ruling class is unable to digest.
It is the controversial 123 agreement that was signed between India and the US during the 1st version of the Congress led UPA, it is this cobra today that is beginning to open its hood and started its nasty dance.
But the recent Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan have only increased the fears among the general public and also raised their level of consciousness on the inherent dangers of nuclear energy. This led to a fierce debate between the pro and the anti-nuclear forces.
The struggle against the nuclear power plant in Koodankulam has had a domino effect with struggles starting to pick up in other proposed sites for nuclear power plants. The fierce debate between pro and anti-nuclear forces that took place recently at “People’s SAARC” held at Thiruvananthapuram has only added more edge to the anti nuclear campaign.
In the past century, the dropping of the Atomic Bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Three Mile Island accident, the unforgettable tragedy at Chernobyl and the recent nuclear disaster at Fukushima are warning signs on the imminent dangers of nuclear energy.
Whatever may be the arguments and parading of lies by the pro nuclear scientist and the politicians, they are still unable to answer the questions with regard to nuclear radiation and the safe disposal of nuclear waste. The reports of cancer and other radiation related hazards at existing nuclear power plants such as Kalpakam, Narora, Kaiga and others has somewhat muted the arguments of the pro nuclear lobby.
Oppose nuclear power
Despite nuclear bombs have not been used after the second world war, nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is a blatant conspiracy of the ruling classes that is cleverly trying to hide the profit motive of the big corporations.
For the maintaining their wasteful, extravagant and consumerist lifestyle that capitalism promotes, the need for unbridled electricity is always there. This model of “development” is having a disastrous effect on the environment. The working people have no choice but to reject this model that is being promoted by capitalism but this does not mean that we want the clock to be turned back. To live in harmony with nature and the other species of the planet, we need to seriously look into renewable sources of energy such as solar, tidal, wind and other sources that do not endanger the environment in the long run.
The profit driven system of capitalism has no interest in promoting environmentally friendly technologies as this does not bring back the huge windfall profits that they desire. This is the reason behind the conspiracy to promote dangerous technology such as nuclear energy as if there is no other alternative.
So we must always oppose nuclear energy and oppose renewing Trident if it is ever given the go ahead in this country which it undoubtably will do in time. For socialist we believe in a fair world which is safe for us and our children. A nuclear free world will ensure this with the economy planned out for peoples needs over the ruthless greed of a select few.
But for all socialists of principles we have always opposed nuclear as a option. It is highly dangerous and despite calls from the capitalists it is not even the cheapest option over the long term.
Jagadish G Chandra, Bangalore, New Socialist Alternative (CWI India)
A war like hysteria has gripped the Indian ruling class, which was initiated by Manmohan Singh and his sycophants especially in the 2nd term of the Congress led UPA, that India must become a superpower at any cost. In their mad pursuit of 8-9% growth rate, this government run by the scoundrels that include Manmohan Singh, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, P Chidambaram and Pranab Mukerhjee are running a circus show by putting the lives of ordinary people in great danger.
In their plea bargain to take India to the top slot of nations by 2020, these so called experts have become the henchmen of the multinational corporations and Indian Capitalist class. They believe, they have given a go by to the environment and social security of the people by stating that nuclear energy is inevitable. In this great cacophony they are using all the nuclear energy sycophants – political, scientific, so called intellectuals who have been hired to start a pro nuclear campaign for the nuclear energy industry.
In the recent times, the world’s attention has been drawn by the anti-nuclear Koodankulam struggle and the determined fight of the people there to shut down the plant. This is something that the Indian ruling class is unable to digest.
It is the controversial 123 agreement that was signed between India and the US during the 1st version of the Congress led UPA, it is this cobra today that is beginning to open its hood and started its nasty dance.
But the recent Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan have only increased the fears among the general public and also raised their level of consciousness on the inherent dangers of nuclear energy. This led to a fierce debate between the pro and the anti-nuclear forces.
The struggle against the nuclear power plant in Koodankulam has had a domino effect with struggles starting to pick up in other proposed sites for nuclear power plants. The fierce debate between pro and anti-nuclear forces that took place recently at “People’s SAARC” held at Thiruvananthapuram has only added more edge to the anti nuclear campaign.
In the past century, the dropping of the Atomic Bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Three Mile Island accident, the unforgettable tragedy at Chernobyl and the recent nuclear disaster at Fukushima are warning signs on the imminent dangers of nuclear energy.
Whatever may be the arguments and parading of lies by the pro nuclear scientist and the politicians, they are still unable to answer the questions with regard to nuclear radiation and the safe disposal of nuclear waste. The reports of cancer and other radiation related hazards at existing nuclear power plants such as Kalpakam, Narora, Kaiga and others has somewhat muted the arguments of the pro nuclear lobby.
Oppose nuclear power
Despite nuclear bombs have not been used after the second world war, nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is a blatant conspiracy of the ruling classes that is cleverly trying to hide the profit motive of the big corporations.
For the maintaining their wasteful, extravagant and consumerist lifestyle that capitalism promotes, the need for unbridled electricity is always there. This model of “development” is having a disastrous effect on the environment. The working people have no choice but to reject this model that is being promoted by capitalism but this does not mean that we want the clock to be turned back. To live in harmony with nature and the other species of the planet, we need to seriously look into renewable sources of energy such as solar, tidal, wind and other sources that do not endanger the environment in the long run.
The profit driven system of capitalism has no interest in promoting environmentally friendly technologies as this does not bring back the huge windfall profits that they desire. This is the reason behind the conspiracy to promote dangerous technology such as nuclear energy as if there is no other alternative.
So we must always oppose nuclear energy and oppose renewing Trident if it is ever given the go ahead in this country which it undoubtably will do in time. For socialist we believe in a fair world which is safe for us and our children. A nuclear free world will ensure this with the economy planned out for peoples needs over the ruthless greed of a select few.
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
Why i am against nuclear energy
This post is not a opputunistic or shallow post as someone on twitter claimed me to be for highliting the dangers of nuclear energy as we wittness the meltdown in Japan of more and more of their nuclear power plants.
Radiation from Japan's quake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has reached harmful levels, the government says.
The warning comes after the plant was rocked by a third blast which appears to have damaged one of the reactors' containment systems for the first time.
If it is breached, there are fears of more serious radioactive leaks.
Officials have extended the danger zone, warning residents within 30km (18 miles) to evacuate or stay indoors.
It appears that for the first time, the containment system around one of the Fukushima Daiichi reactors has been breached.
Officials have referred to a possible crack in the suppression chamber of reactor 2 - a large doughnut-shaped structure below the reactor housing. That would allow steam, containing radioactive substances, to escape continuously.
This is the most likely source of the high radioactivity readings seen near the site. Another possible source is the fire in reactor 4 building - believed to have started when a pool storing old fuel rods dried up.
The readings at the site rose beyond safe limits - 400 millisieverts per hour (mSv/hr), when the average person's exposure is 3mSv in a year.
A key question is whether this is just a transient spike, which might be expected if number 2 is the source, or whether the high levels are sustained.
In the meantime, the key task for workers at the plant remains to get enough water into the reactors - and, now, into the spent fuel pools - with the poor resources at their disposal.
Reactor breach worsens prospects
The crisis has been prompted by last Friday's 9.0-magnitude quake and tsunami in north-eastern Japan.
On Tuesday morning, reactor 2 became the third to explode in four days at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
A fire also briefly broke out at the plant's reactor 4, and is believed to have caused radioactive leaks.
Reactor 4 had been shut down before the quake for maintenance, but its spent nuclear fuel rods are still stored on the site.
Radiation levels in the Japanese capital - 250km (155 miles) away - were reported to be higher than normal, but officials said there were no health dangers.
Tokyo residents have been stocking up on supplies, with some stores selling out of items such as food, water, face masks and candles.
Housewife Mariko Kawase, 34, told AFP news agency: "I am shopping now because we may not be able to go out due to the radiation."
I myself am anti nuclear and have never seen it as a safe and long lasting renewable energy source. If there was not such more capitalist greed from the energy providers in the world we cold invest a lot more money into greener safera nd altogether safer energies.
In China they plan to build 300 more nuclear power plants in the next 10 years and with the UK's previous and present government fully signed up for this nuclear program which i find very worrying indeed.
I think we should be looking for alternative sources of energy as best we can. There is still no proven safe way of disposing nuclear waste that we know of yet. So far they have been burrying it in the ground which deams the area dead for years. This cannot be good for the planet and we must look again at other alternative forms of energies .
I have found a list of nuclear disasters over the years and highlights the actual dangers of the use of nuclear.
Serious radiation accidents include:
29 September 1957 – Mayak nuclear waste storage tank explosion at Chelyabinsk. Two hundred plus fatalities, believed to be a conservative estimate; 270,000 people were exposed to dangerous radiation levels. Over thirty small communities had been removed from Soviet maps between 1958 and 1991.[20] (INES level 6).[19]
July 4, 1961 – Soviet submarine K-19 accident. Eight fatalities and more than 30 people were over-exposed to radiation.[6]
1962 – Radiation accident in Mexico City, four fatalities.
1979 - Church Rock uranium mill spill in New Mexico, USA.
March 1984 – Radiation accident in Morocco, eight fatalities.[7]
August 10, 1985 – Soviet submarine K-431 accident. Ten fatalities and 49 other people suffered radiation injuries.[21]
September 13, 1987 – Goiania accident. Four fatalities and 249 other people received serious radiation contamination.[8]
December 1990 – Radiotherapy accident in Zaragoza. Eleven fatalities and 27 other patients were injured.[6]
6 April 1993 - accident at the Tomsk-7 Reprocessing Complex, when a tank exploded while being cleaned with nitric acid. The explosion released a cloud of radioactive gas. (INES level 4).[19]
1996 – Radiotherapy accident in Costa Rica. Thirteen fatalities and 114 other patients received an overdose of radiation.[5]
February 2000 - Three deaths and ten injuries resulted in Samut Prakarn when a radiation-therapy unit was dismantled.[9]
April 2010 - Mayapuri radiological accident, India, one fatality.
Of course the most famous and well known nuclear disaster occured in Chernobyl
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine). It is considered the worst nuclear power plant accident in history, and it is the only one classified as a level 7 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale.
The disaster began during a systems test on 26 April 1986 at reactor number four of the Chernobyl plant, which is near the town of Pripyat. There was a sudden power output surge, and when an emergency shutdown was attempted, a more extreme spike in power output occurred, which led to a reactor vessel rupture and a series of explosions. This event exposed the graphite moderator components of the reactor to air, causing them to ignite. The resulting fire sent a plume of radioactive fallout into the atmosphere and over an extensive geographical area, including Pripyat. The plume drifted over large parts of the western Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Northern Europe. Large areas in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia had to be evacuated, and over 336,000 people were resettled. According to official post-Soviet dataabout 60% of the fallout landed in Belarus.
The accident raised concerns about the safety of the Soviet nuclear power industry, as well as nuclear power in general, slowing its expansion for a number of years and forcing the Soviet government to become less secretive about its procedures.[3]
Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus have been burdened with the continuing and substantial decontamination and health care costs of the Chernobyl accident. Fifty deaths, all among the reactor staff and emergency workers, are directly attributed to the accident. Estimates of the total number of deaths attributable to the accident vary enormously. Despite the accident, Ukraine continued to operate the remaining reactors at Chernobyl for many years. The last reactor at the site was closed down in 2000, 14 years after the accident.
So i do hope what is currently happening in Japan doesnt lead to another disaster on this scale like in Chernobyl
I think we should make people aware of the dangers nuclear poses and try and turn our governments against the ideaa nd look more towards greener energies even if it cost them more. It would be worth it if it meant us having a greener planet.
Radiation from Japan's quake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has reached harmful levels, the government says.
The warning comes after the plant was rocked by a third blast which appears to have damaged one of the reactors' containment systems for the first time.
If it is breached, there are fears of more serious radioactive leaks.
Officials have extended the danger zone, warning residents within 30km (18 miles) to evacuate or stay indoors.
It appears that for the first time, the containment system around one of the Fukushima Daiichi reactors has been breached.
Officials have referred to a possible crack in the suppression chamber of reactor 2 - a large doughnut-shaped structure below the reactor housing. That would allow steam, containing radioactive substances, to escape continuously.
This is the most likely source of the high radioactivity readings seen near the site. Another possible source is the fire in reactor 4 building - believed to have started when a pool storing old fuel rods dried up.
The readings at the site rose beyond safe limits - 400 millisieverts per hour (mSv/hr), when the average person's exposure is 3mSv in a year.
A key question is whether this is just a transient spike, which might be expected if number 2 is the source, or whether the high levels are sustained.
In the meantime, the key task for workers at the plant remains to get enough water into the reactors - and, now, into the spent fuel pools - with the poor resources at their disposal.
Reactor breach worsens prospects
The crisis has been prompted by last Friday's 9.0-magnitude quake and tsunami in north-eastern Japan.
On Tuesday morning, reactor 2 became the third to explode in four days at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
A fire also briefly broke out at the plant's reactor 4, and is believed to have caused radioactive leaks.
Reactor 4 had been shut down before the quake for maintenance, but its spent nuclear fuel rods are still stored on the site.
Radiation levels in the Japanese capital - 250km (155 miles) away - were reported to be higher than normal, but officials said there were no health dangers.
Tokyo residents have been stocking up on supplies, with some stores selling out of items such as food, water, face masks and candles.
Housewife Mariko Kawase, 34, told AFP news agency: "I am shopping now because we may not be able to go out due to the radiation."
I myself am anti nuclear and have never seen it as a safe and long lasting renewable energy source. If there was not such more capitalist greed from the energy providers in the world we cold invest a lot more money into greener safera nd altogether safer energies.
In China they plan to build 300 more nuclear power plants in the next 10 years and with the UK's previous and present government fully signed up for this nuclear program which i find very worrying indeed.
I think we should be looking for alternative sources of energy as best we can. There is still no proven safe way of disposing nuclear waste that we know of yet. So far they have been burrying it in the ground which deams the area dead for years. This cannot be good for the planet and we must look again at other alternative forms of energies .
I have found a list of nuclear disasters over the years and highlights the actual dangers of the use of nuclear.
Serious radiation accidents include:
29 September 1957 – Mayak nuclear waste storage tank explosion at Chelyabinsk. Two hundred plus fatalities, believed to be a conservative estimate; 270,000 people were exposed to dangerous radiation levels. Over thirty small communities had been removed from Soviet maps between 1958 and 1991.[20] (INES level 6).[19]
July 4, 1961 – Soviet submarine K-19 accident. Eight fatalities and more than 30 people were over-exposed to radiation.[6]
1962 – Radiation accident in Mexico City, four fatalities.
1979 - Church Rock uranium mill spill in New Mexico, USA.
March 1984 – Radiation accident in Morocco, eight fatalities.[7]
August 10, 1985 – Soviet submarine K-431 accident. Ten fatalities and 49 other people suffered radiation injuries.[21]
September 13, 1987 – Goiania accident. Four fatalities and 249 other people received serious radiation contamination.[8]
December 1990 – Radiotherapy accident in Zaragoza. Eleven fatalities and 27 other patients were injured.[6]
6 April 1993 - accident at the Tomsk-7 Reprocessing Complex, when a tank exploded while being cleaned with nitric acid. The explosion released a cloud of radioactive gas. (INES level 4).[19]
1996 – Radiotherapy accident in Costa Rica. Thirteen fatalities and 114 other patients received an overdose of radiation.[5]
February 2000 - Three deaths and ten injuries resulted in Samut Prakarn when a radiation-therapy unit was dismantled.[9]
April 2010 - Mayapuri radiological accident, India, one fatality.
Of course the most famous and well known nuclear disaster occured in Chernobyl
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine). It is considered the worst nuclear power plant accident in history, and it is the only one classified as a level 7 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale.
The disaster began during a systems test on 26 April 1986 at reactor number four of the Chernobyl plant, which is near the town of Pripyat. There was a sudden power output surge, and when an emergency shutdown was attempted, a more extreme spike in power output occurred, which led to a reactor vessel rupture and a series of explosions. This event exposed the graphite moderator components of the reactor to air, causing them to ignite. The resulting fire sent a plume of radioactive fallout into the atmosphere and over an extensive geographical area, including Pripyat. The plume drifted over large parts of the western Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Northern Europe. Large areas in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia had to be evacuated, and over 336,000 people were resettled. According to official post-Soviet dataabout 60% of the fallout landed in Belarus.
The accident raised concerns about the safety of the Soviet nuclear power industry, as well as nuclear power in general, slowing its expansion for a number of years and forcing the Soviet government to become less secretive about its procedures.[3]
Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus have been burdened with the continuing and substantial decontamination and health care costs of the Chernobyl accident. Fifty deaths, all among the reactor staff and emergency workers, are directly attributed to the accident. Estimates of the total number of deaths attributable to the accident vary enormously. Despite the accident, Ukraine continued to operate the remaining reactors at Chernobyl for many years. The last reactor at the site was closed down in 2000, 14 years after the accident.
So i do hope what is currently happening in Japan doesnt lead to another disaster on this scale like in Chernobyl
I think we should make people aware of the dangers nuclear poses and try and turn our governments against the ideaa nd look more towards greener energies even if it cost them more. It would be worth it if it meant us having a greener planet.
Monday, 14 March 2011
How the Japanese earthquake and Tsunami may affect us all
So over the weekend the tragic news of a huge earthquake that hit just off the north east coast of the japanese mainland hit on friday i think it was now. Awful devastation in the north of the country with big towns such as Sendai affected hugely with many homes and buildings flattened and often washed out to sea.
Japan who lie slap bang on the fault line of a major fault line which is part of teh pacific ring of fire as they call it was always under threat from this huge quake and this appears to have been the big one. Coming in at a collosall 8.9 and many argueing it could be a 9 on the reicter scale is huge on anyones estimation.
Firstly i wantt o send all of our condolances from this blog and many who read this. I intend to pledge a donation to the Red Cross in solidarity with the Japanese people. I must say the Japanese people have handled this amazingly with faced with such tradegy they havent moaned or groaned or pleaded to the world about their troubles they have quietly gone about rescueing any survivors they can rescue from the quake and any who have been affected by the Tsnami which brought a huge huge wave clattering against the Japanese coastline washing in 10 miles inland at some parts and destroying anything that lay in its path.
Absolutely awful scenes we saw over the weekend on our news. Many countries around the world including New Zealand and Chile who have also been recently hit with big earthquakes have pledged to support Japan in its rescue efforts and rebuilding efforts.
Not just teh loss of life and destruction of buildings and land though a big problem that now has occured now as a direct result of fridays earthquake is the major nuclear power plants and reactors that keep the Japanese electricity supply going. It is rumoured due to the shut down and the damage caused to these reactors which are still not stable by any means the Japanese electricity supply is now down by 25% roughly. This is major i would say as Japan as what is the 3rd or 4th biggest global economies in the whole wide world relies heavily on nuclear power and electricity for its production which in itself is huge.
It is said in times of disaster around the world the world looks to the ever reliable Yen to invest in and it has always been seen as a safe currency to invest your money in.
Now it is Japan in troublea nd the Yen taking a tumble in the stock market loosing 6% of its worth apparently today what affect will this have on the rest of the world i ask you.
Well i dont think we know the full extent of the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake of 2011 yet. But small things are emerging it is being estimated that the insurance cost for this will rocket into the billions of dollars and Japan who's economy is already in dire straights with a financial deficit estimated to be 4 times bigger than the UK's i fail to see how this wont have a major impact on the world and the global economy.
I dont think many have stopped to think of the knock on effects the problems in Japan will have. Alot of the business and production and trade in the world today is carried out with Japan with them having to heal their damaged economy and possibly take a loan out with a country like America for example i can only see the japanese economy taking a tumble in the world market.
As a socialist i find this fascinating and also very worryign how a major capitalist country goes about healing itself. No doubt to help pay for the damage and the aftermath of a broken economy already not coping with the recession it has been in for the last 8 or 9 years now will be sent to the working class's to help pay for this as usual. This is a tactic often used when a capitalist society gets into trouble financially. But i can only see this benifitin America to be honest as i said before i see America one of the Japanese closest allies now according to Barac O'barma will be sure to come to their aid with a recovery economic package to help their economy get back on its feet. The world needs a strong Japan with its huge infrustructure and production power on the world stage.
We are facing one of the most uncertain economic times for a very long time and i really do see this Japanese situation and unfortunate as it is how it will affect the global economy. I really feel the damage and long lasting damage done to that country will send the rest of the world into recession as teh capitalist system fails to grasp how it can get out of its own mess.
I really do think the events in Japan over the last week or so will affect us all be it with the worry of nuclear power making its way back onto the agenda of world governments. I may well do a blogpost on nuclear energy and its pro's and con's in the next week or so but it has brought it back on to the agenda for modern day governments to assess whetehr it really is the best way to go.
With a ever expanding China aiming to build over 300 nuclear power plants over the next 10 years and with China on a few big major fault lines of its own it is quite worrying that we may end up with another chernobyl nuclear disaster which ruined a large amount of the Ukrainian countryside when a nuclear meltdown caused the plant to leak for miles around the site writing off land for years and still many birds and animals will not return to this land deeming it un usable. I myself am anti nucler i am scared by it to be quite honest the power it pocess's and can weirld is frightening. I am glad i wasnt alive during the times of the cold war that would have scared the crap out of me. I feel in a socialist society there would be no need for nuclear power and the rich capitalists using these sorts of dangerous energies to gain more profit out of. I would hope in a socialist society the money that was shared out between everyone would be used to create long lasting greener energies that were renewable and usable.
So i do think the question will return to many western governments whether nuclear really is the best way forward possibly leading to higher energy prices as Japan depends more on oil over the next few yearsas a result of its broken nuclear system. This i feel will havea result as this will drive up the price of oil even further so do watch this space with this situation. This could affect us all.
Japan who lie slap bang on the fault line of a major fault line which is part of teh pacific ring of fire as they call it was always under threat from this huge quake and this appears to have been the big one. Coming in at a collosall 8.9 and many argueing it could be a 9 on the reicter scale is huge on anyones estimation.
Firstly i wantt o send all of our condolances from this blog and many who read this. I intend to pledge a donation to the Red Cross in solidarity with the Japanese people. I must say the Japanese people have handled this amazingly with faced with such tradegy they havent moaned or groaned or pleaded to the world about their troubles they have quietly gone about rescueing any survivors they can rescue from the quake and any who have been affected by the Tsnami which brought a huge huge wave clattering against the Japanese coastline washing in 10 miles inland at some parts and destroying anything that lay in its path.
Absolutely awful scenes we saw over the weekend on our news. Many countries around the world including New Zealand and Chile who have also been recently hit with big earthquakes have pledged to support Japan in its rescue efforts and rebuilding efforts.
Not just teh loss of life and destruction of buildings and land though a big problem that now has occured now as a direct result of fridays earthquake is the major nuclear power plants and reactors that keep the Japanese electricity supply going. It is rumoured due to the shut down and the damage caused to these reactors which are still not stable by any means the Japanese electricity supply is now down by 25% roughly. This is major i would say as Japan as what is the 3rd or 4th biggest global economies in the whole wide world relies heavily on nuclear power and electricity for its production which in itself is huge.
It is said in times of disaster around the world the world looks to the ever reliable Yen to invest in and it has always been seen as a safe currency to invest your money in.
Now it is Japan in troublea nd the Yen taking a tumble in the stock market loosing 6% of its worth apparently today what affect will this have on the rest of the world i ask you.
Well i dont think we know the full extent of the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake of 2011 yet. But small things are emerging it is being estimated that the insurance cost for this will rocket into the billions of dollars and Japan who's economy is already in dire straights with a financial deficit estimated to be 4 times bigger than the UK's i fail to see how this wont have a major impact on the world and the global economy.
I dont think many have stopped to think of the knock on effects the problems in Japan will have. Alot of the business and production and trade in the world today is carried out with Japan with them having to heal their damaged economy and possibly take a loan out with a country like America for example i can only see the japanese economy taking a tumble in the world market.
As a socialist i find this fascinating and also very worryign how a major capitalist country goes about healing itself. No doubt to help pay for the damage and the aftermath of a broken economy already not coping with the recession it has been in for the last 8 or 9 years now will be sent to the working class's to help pay for this as usual. This is a tactic often used when a capitalist society gets into trouble financially. But i can only see this benifitin America to be honest as i said before i see America one of the Japanese closest allies now according to Barac O'barma will be sure to come to their aid with a recovery economic package to help their economy get back on its feet. The world needs a strong Japan with its huge infrustructure and production power on the world stage.
We are facing one of the most uncertain economic times for a very long time and i really do see this Japanese situation and unfortunate as it is how it will affect the global economy. I really feel the damage and long lasting damage done to that country will send the rest of the world into recession as teh capitalist system fails to grasp how it can get out of its own mess.
I really do think the events in Japan over the last week or so will affect us all be it with the worry of nuclear power making its way back onto the agenda of world governments. I may well do a blogpost on nuclear energy and its pro's and con's in the next week or so but it has brought it back on to the agenda for modern day governments to assess whetehr it really is the best way to go.
With a ever expanding China aiming to build over 300 nuclear power plants over the next 10 years and with China on a few big major fault lines of its own it is quite worrying that we may end up with another chernobyl nuclear disaster which ruined a large amount of the Ukrainian countryside when a nuclear meltdown caused the plant to leak for miles around the site writing off land for years and still many birds and animals will not return to this land deeming it un usable. I myself am anti nucler i am scared by it to be quite honest the power it pocess's and can weirld is frightening. I am glad i wasnt alive during the times of the cold war that would have scared the crap out of me. I feel in a socialist society there would be no need for nuclear power and the rich capitalists using these sorts of dangerous energies to gain more profit out of. I would hope in a socialist society the money that was shared out between everyone would be used to create long lasting greener energies that were renewable and usable.
So i do think the question will return to many western governments whether nuclear really is the best way forward possibly leading to higher energy prices as Japan depends more on oil over the next few yearsas a result of its broken nuclear system. This i feel will havea result as this will drive up the price of oil even further so do watch this space with this situation. This could affect us all.
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