Uranium
As oil has been the “black gold” which has made many fortunes, some have started to call uranium “hot gold”. The market for the dense, metallic element which fuels nuclear power stations has exploded over the past few years. Having languished at less than $10 (£5) a pound for much of the 1990s – which saw the closure of many uranium mines – its price shot up by 900pc between 2001 and 2006. But now investors’ appetite is cooling rapidly. After four years of non-stop rises, uranium hit $135 in June and then began to fall. In the past few weeks, it has slumped to $90.
Telegraph 30th August 2007 more >>
The government’s efforts to sell its stake in Urenco, the uranium-enrichment company, have become deadlocked, according to industry insiders, possibly delaying a disposal by several years. Urenco is thriving thanks to the revival of interest in nuclear power and the rise in popularity of its centrifugal enrichment technology, which uses less energy than rival gas diffusion techniques. But political sensitivities over the issue of technology transfer have dogged efforts to secure a buyer.
FT 30th August 2007 more >>
Iran
Yesterday’s skirmish, in which the US arrested eight Iranians in Baghdad and then let them go after consulting the Iraqi Government, was trivial and irrelevant to the broader clash between the two countries. There is no reason – although Tehran may not need one – to connect the incident with President Bush’s speech the previous night, in which he declared that Iran’s nuclear ambitions put the region “under the shadow of a nuclear holocaust”.
Times 30th August 2007 more >>
Climate
This week the Liberal Democrats unveiled plans to eliminate our greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050. Leo Hickman considers the implications.
Guardian 30th August 2007 more >>
Nuclear accidents
Two of the UK’s most serious nuclear weapons accidents in the 1980s were caused by long term lapses in safety procedures, according to newly declassified government reports released to New Scientist under freedom of information laws. The accidents look more serious than previously admitted by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The first accident happened on 2 May 1984 at RAF Bruggen in Germany. A nuclear warhead was damaged in transit when its container slid off a wet trailer as it turned a corner. The warhead rolled onto the tarmac and was dented within its container.
New Scientist, 30 August 2007 (subscription required) more >>
Rob Edwards.com 30th August 2007 (with links to declassified reports) more >>
Times 30th August 2007 more >>
Coal
What may soon be known as the new coal rush, and developments so at odds with the imperatives of climate change that they suggest a fast track towards irreversible disaster. The ubiquitous reduction of green politics to ethical consumerism means we’d probably rather carry on talking about cars, thermostats and lightbulbs. Faced with a resurgence that spans most of the planet, even the most righteous green activist could be forgiven for feeling powerless. No matter; what with skyrocketing gas prices and the fractious state of geopolitics, the stuff responsible for a quarter of the world’s CO2 emissions is on a roll, which surely represents our biggest environmental headache of all.
Guardian 30th August 2007 more >>
