Tag: justtransitions

The case for closing Hunterston

In June 2018 we published a briefing on the perilous state of the nuclear reactors at Hunterston and Torness.   The reactors at Hunterston have been offline since then while inspection of the graphite cylinders in the reactor core takes place. With around 28% of the core inspected the Ferret has now revealed that 370 major cracks have been found in the graphite core of reactor three and 200 cracks in the core of reactor four. To put this in context there are 3000 graphite blocks in each reactor.

EDF Energy who run the reactors intend to apply for permission to reopen production in March or April this year. In the view of environmental radiologist Ian Fairlie, who spoke at the Scottish Parliament and at meetings in Edinburgh and Glasgow this week such a move is fraught with risk. The level of damage to the reactor cores is such that they should be permanently shut down.

At the Edinburgh talk Ian noted that Hunterston is now probably the oldest operating nuclear reactor in the world. It first generated electricity in 1976 and was designed to run for 30 years. Currently it’s scheduled for closure in 2023. EDF have previously applied for five-year extensions and there is every likelihood they plan to do so again.

The cylindrical graphite blocks are critical to the stability and safety of the reactors. The cracks form in pairs, running the full length of the cylinders and splitting them apart. Under normal conditions the others around them hold the cracked blocks in place. However, a sudden outage, steam surge or earth tremor could result in a serious accident and a large release of radioactive gas. If other safety systems were to fail – and they are untested – there is a possibility of a catastrophic accident on the scale of Chernobyl.   The direction of the prevailing wind would take the radioactive plume across Glasgow, Edinburgh and most of the central belt.

plume

EDF are under political and economic pressure to keep the reactors operating. The political pressure comes from Westminster and a strong emphasis on nuclear. The economic pressure is arguably more acute. EDF are in a financial crisis, €37 billion in debt and needing more than €200 billion to bankroll commitments in construction, refurbishment and decommissioning. Hunterston and Torness, when operational, are a significant source of income to the firm.

The continued operation of these aging power stations is a real threat to the lives and well being of the Scottish population. Permanent closure and a focus on renewables is the safe and sustainable alternative.

Climate jobs and a mass movement

It’s great that the last few days have seen an upsurge in protest against inaction on climate change.  In our view climate jobs are vital to a transition to a sustainable economy.  ‘Climate Jobs and a mass movement’ is intended as a contribution to the debate and can be downloaded to use as a flyer.

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Defence diversification and just transition

More from the #justtransitions conference: Andrew Feinstein director of Corruption watch speaking on the arms trade, diversification and just transitions @EdinburghCAAT #scote3

Why we need a just transition

There is no doubt that we are already facing the effects of climate change. Sea levels are rising; glaciers and ice caps are melting faster than anyone envisaged. Around the world the frequency and strength of extreme storms is creating misery for the coastal poor while the rich move to higher ground.

Speakers at the Edinburgh Just Transitions conference will argue that our response to climate change has to be political. The recent UN report, and almost all large-scale policy initiatives, has been based on an assumption that market forces will drive a transition to a low carbon economy. There is a market response. Massive increases in wind and solar are a case in point. However, if current policies are continued, there is no chance that carbon reduction targets for 2030 and 2050 will be achieved either locally in Scotland or globally.

We have the technological knowledge to make a rapid transition to a sustainable economy. What’s missing is political will. We’ll argue that the politics of transition is as critical as the technology. On the one hand there is the status quo in a state reliance on the market. A top down approach that protects the rich and powerful – builds walls and fences and curtails civil liberties. On the other hand there is what is increasingly described as a Just Transition. This would involve programmes of publicly funded investment creating new jobs, protecting the livelihoods of those who will move from oil, gas and defence industries to new jobs and dramatically improving the living conditions of the bulk of the population through better insulated homes and improved public transport.

To achieve a Just Transition the response has to be international but action is required in every local context. In Scotland we start with significant advantages that could make us a beacon for the world. Across manufacturing, defence and construction there is a rich base of engineering skills. We have access to a wealth of natural resources wind, wave, tidal and hydro. Scottish Universities are at the forefront of developing wave and tidal technology.   The Scottish Government’s response is hugely better than Westminster’s. The proposed national energy company and green investment bank are essential for a Just Transition. However, the current plans show a poverty of ambition that falls far short of the radical steps that are required.

Only right wing ideologues now deny climate change. But beyond a relatively small layer of activists most people feel disconnected and powerless. This is reinforced by appeals to personal and lifestyle choices that are inaccessible to many. Surely the challenge is to link the necessary steps to the immediacy of working class lives. Workers in defence, construction and hydrocarbons are key. Their skills are needed to build the new and democratic economy. Yet at present they work in sectors that have seen a huge increase in agency workers and worsening pay and conditions. Despite excellent resolutions on climate change at the STUC, unions in these sectors continue to put jobs, any jobs, first. But this strategy is bankrupt morally, practically and politically. And increasingly workers in the industry recognise this. However, they need to believe that there is an alternative.

At the conference we’ll hear from authors of the Million Climate Jobs plan for transition, from the Campaign Against the Arms Trade, from climate activists and critically from workers in defence and construction. We will also hear from welfare campaigners fighting for social justice as represented by fuel poverty. Through the day discussion will focus on developing ideas that translate the issues and challenges that we face, and the steps that we know have to be taken, into a draft manifesto for action. We hope to circulate this far and wide to provoke debate, discussion and develop more ideas. Core to this will have to be a sense of developing collective organisation and social solidarity that will be essential in making the transition but will also shape our future and how we and those who come after us live in the world.

This article first published on Common Space 13/11/18