Here is a very dated snip from a university website. She's been an activist for pretty well sixty years.
Dr. Helen Caldicott has been an international advocate for peace and the environment for twenty-five years. The founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility and Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament (WAND), Dr. Caldicott has been called a "peace warrior" because of her opposition to nuclear weapons and her devotion to the welfare of the planet earth.
Our conservative opposition party coalition want to build nuclear power stations in Australia and restrict the expansion of renewable energy. This will be hugely expensive and take decades to build, while renewable power and battery storage technology are advancing at astonishing speeds, as the infrastructure to deal with and direct the power also proceeds. Some Australian states have laws banning nuclear production energy, (thanks for your work Helen). Nuclear power is just not going to happen in Australia as it simply not needed, even if the conservative party is elected. At best in its first term in office it may make plans, if re-elected once, it might do surveys. The next Labor government would probably just chuck the plans in the bin.
Dr Caldicott wasn't the only anti nuclear campaigner, with her being in good company. Nevertheless, she was the anti nuclear campaigner figurehead and we are indebted to her. She is 86 now, and still busy doing what she has always done, that is trying to make the world a better place.
A former Prime Minister brought a lump of coal into Parliament and handed it around to fellow politicians. "This is coal", he said. "It is nothing to be afraid of". I wonder if the leader of His Majesty's Opposition Party will bring some uranium into parliament to hand around, with the advice it is nothing to be afraid of.
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What an amazing woman. Thanks for sharing this, Andrew.
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays, Sandra sandracox.blogspot.com
She is Sandra, and she now lives in Long Island.
DeleteI understand conservatives wanting to hang on to the power sources of old, because they are by nature conservative and don't want change. But why campaign against renewable energy? That just seems foolhardy. We can have both.
ReplyDeleteSteve, I have a thought that they want to spend money on new power stations in the interim, thus digging up as much coal for local consumption, thus profits for business before the world totally rejects coal as a fuel.
DeleteYou only have to look at Sellafield, just across the water from us to see just what a bad idea these nuclear facilities are.
ReplyDeleteOf course there is no link to our high rates of cancers ... so it is claimed.
JayCee, that's worth following up, and of some concern.
DeleteWe need to clone her. And I suspect that the Coalition Guvermint will be elected next term and that nuclear power will be very little closer (at huge expense). Big sigh.
ReplyDeleteEC, Dutton's plans will be approved by some conservatives in Australia, but not all. I won't be here to collect on a bet, but I doubt we will ever see nuclear power here.
DeleteDr. Helen Caldicott's tireless activism has indeed left an indelible mark on the global stage. Her unwavering commitment to peace and environmental advocacy has inspired countless individuals and movements.
ReplyDeleteQuite so, Roentare.
DeleteAs for nuclear subs? Where do we store the waste? I wonder if people living near the sub site in Adelaide have to pack up and leave . Nuclear is being used safely in many European countries. Have cancer rates increased there? Coal, cigarettes , fried food , alcohol, wind farms off shore wind farms all have destructive elements as well. Ask Tasmanian, about their views on wind farms. Ask mainland people about offshore wind farms and their impact .
ReplyDeleteNuclear is not a power source of old but needs to be fully explored as one of the sources of power…..as long as it is not in my suburb!. We have solar which had until recently been an economic saviour for us but the government now has decided there is too much home solar being fed into the network so we get less return. Figure that one out!
Tilly lamps and wood stoves for cooking and heating might have to make a return….
Anon, as I remember, the waste will be 'properly dealt with', which wasn't telling us what would happen to it. Nuclear power is quite safe, until it isn't. And when it goes wrong, it really goes wrong. Mostly I approve of all renewable energy sources and it is going ahead in leaps and bounds, making other sources quite redundant. It is a challenge for power companies to work out how to deal with incoming energy from homes. They need seriously big batteries. I think my brother many years ago was getting 40c a kw for input. He was only getting a few cents a few years ago, before he moved to a retirement village.
DeleteFollow the money and you'll find out why things are the way they are.
ReplyDeletePrecisely Bob. I have ideas who will benefit and it won't be the average Australian. Don't worry about us though. You have your own big problems.
DeleteEven if she was nominated Dr Caldicott may well have declined such baubles from the state.
ReplyDeleteMC, that was in the back of my mind, so perhaps that is the case.
DeleteAnd with advancing technology, there are now cleaner ways to burn coal resulting in much less pollution, but the government appears to be deaf to such news.
ReplyDeleteThere are cleaner ways River, but at huge expense to build such power stations. Dutton and crew are all about profits for big business, at the expense of most Australians.
DeleteHadn't heard of the lady, she did well it seems.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, she did make a difference. She argued with great passion and logic.
DeleteRestricting the creation of renewable energy makes absolutely no sense at all unless you look at it from the vantage point of someone putting big money into a nuclear power plant who wants to make sure that there is no other alternative for people than to use their power. Then it makes perfect sense. It is just another plan to make big profits with no competition. In other words, a monopoly.
ReplyDeleteDebby, aside from the opposition party saying the government, that is us, will pay to build nuclear, you are on the money.
DeleteWe have the sunniest country in the world. We should be way ahead in renewables. The idea of nuclear power is silly. The opposition just like to be difficult.
ReplyDeleteI know Diane. It is quite ridiculous.
DeleteYou noted that Dr Caldicott has long been the anti nuclear campaigner figurehead but at 86 now, I hope she is still training and mentoring younger scientists. Otherwise who will take over the important work?
ReplyDeletePoliticians, eh?
ReplyDeleteWind, solar and the tides have always been there, will always be there, and harnessing them does not kill us in large numbers.
ReplyDeleteI had almost forgotten about Helen, as I wasn't sure if she was still alive. I became aware of her many years ago, of course, but started to have contact with her when she was based in Northern NSW (where I'm from) and began to pursue a career in politics. I remember she was both smart and very human. Sadly, I worry that with the generation of journalists around now, when they hear of her inevitable death will have no interest. I remember once talking to a younger journalist about Jim Cairns, and they said to me, "Sorry, I have no idea who you're talking about. That was before I was born", to which I replied... "Lots of things happened before I was born, but you have Google to look it up".
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard about her in years. I am surprised that she has had no gov't recognition, Andrew.
ReplyDelete