US accusations against China on Covid-19 origin-tracing are totally groundless

LETTERS
MALAYSIAN STAR
Tuesday, 17 Aug 2021

THE United States has been hyping up the so-called "lab leak" conspiracy theory recently and is once again shifting the blame on the origins of Covid-19 to China. In fact, at the very beginning of the global outbreak of Covid-19, the administration of US former president Donald Trump had already made up wave after wave of conspiracy theories to smear China with the groundless presumption of guilt in an attempt to cover up their incompetence in coping with the pandemic.

With the worsening pandemic situation compounding the presidential election last year, the US was focused on dealing with its domestic problems. However, as the situation is getting better to some extent, the Biden administration is beginning to create a fuss again over tracing the origins of Covid-19 and overtly targeting China as the culprit.

The US is continuously and wantonly attacking China, politicising the pandemic and stigmatising the virus. The purpose is to shift responsibility for their botched pandemic response and achieve the political motive of discrediting and suppressing China.

Anyone with an ounce of objectivity can see clearly that the US is once again playing dirty tricks, like using a test tube of laundry powder as evidence for Iraq’s possession of weapons of mass destruction, in peddling the propaganda of holding China liable for the Covid-19 outbreak.

Although it is clear to the US that it will not be able to defeat China this time, it is still trying to sabotage China’s image. By doing so, it is not only undermining global cooperation in the fight against the pandemic, seriously disrupting global economic recovery, but also failing to help improve its domestic Covid-19 situation or save lives. The US will only harm itself as well as others! This game is not worth the candle.

Accusations and attacks by the US against China on Covid-19 origin-tracing are totally groundless. Origin-tracing is a complex scientific matter requiring science-based cooperation. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, China has upheld the principles of openness, transparency, science and cooperation in tracing the origins of the virus. We maintained close communication with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and many countries, and provided great support to the work on origin-tracing.

Last year, China organised a multidisciplinary team to work on origin-tracing despite being engaged in arduous epidemic prevention and control tasks. China took the lead in collaborating with WHO on global origin-tracing and had twice invited WHO experts to China for origin-tracing research. In particular, leading experts from 10 countries, including the US, United Kingdom, Japan and Australia, formed a joint team of experts with their Chinese counterparts earlier this year. They carried out a 28-day joint research effort in China. China gave full support to the expert team.

We have done our best to coordinate relevant organisations to meet the requirements of the experts, who visited places they wanted to visit and talked to everybody they wanted to talk to.

They analysed data, made field visits and conducted interviews and exchanges together, and they steadily formed a consensus based on science.

On March 30, WHO released the report of their study, which concluded that the pathway of lab leak is extremely unlikely, and that no massive outbreak was found in Wuhan prior to December 2019. They also recommended further research on earlier cases around the world and further study of the role of cold-chain and cold-chain products in viral transmission.

These important conclusions were reached by following WHO procedures and rigorous scientific methodology. They are authoritative and scientific, and have been universally recognised by the international community.

The report pointed out the direction and laid the basis for the next step of joint studies on the origins of the virus in various countries and localities under a global framework.

China’s open and transparent attitude on the issue of Covid-19 origin-tracing has also been affirmed by experts from various countries.

However, the US government chose to reject the report in defiance of authoritative scientific research conclusions, and even ordered its intelligence community to come up with a conclusion on the origin of the virus within 90 days. The US has turned the research with scientists as main actors into a trick manipulated by some politicians, and tried to peddle intelligence-led origin-tracing and the presumption of guilt.

On the issue of origin-tracing, some people in the US may indeed have a guilty conscience. In June, Vanity Fair revealed an internal warning from the US government against an investigation into the origin of the coronavirus that could open a can of worms. In fact, the US has remained silent on the serious concerns raised by the international community about the Fort Detrick bio-lab and the more than 200 biological laboratories overseas.

The US must understand that the international community, including China, has every reason to raise questions about the Fort Detrick bio-lab and demand clarification and explanation, and also call on WHO to conduct a thorough investigation on it. The US should prove itself responsible and start revealing the truth to the world instead of muddying the water.

People can tell right from wrong. Politicising Covid-19 origin-tracing undermines solidarity of the international community and interferes with the joint efforts to fight the pandemic. The international community strongly opposes the attempt to politicise the study of the Covid-19 origins. Nearly 70 countries have expressed opposition to the politicisation of origin-tracing while supporting the China-WHO joint mission report by writing letters to the WHO director-general, issuing statements and sending notes. On Aug 2, more than 300 political parties, civil society organisations and think tanks from over 100 countries and regions submitted a joint statement to the WHO Secretariat, calling for WHO to carry out global virus origin-tracing research in an objective and fair manner, and stating their resolute stand against politicising the virus origin-tracing issue.

More and more experts and scholars are speaking out against the spread of political virus. Jeffrey Sachs, a professor at Columbia University in the US, wrote that origin-tracing should not be used to blame China.

Pamela Bjorkman, a professor of biology at California Institute of Technology, explained why she co-signed an open letter to the journal Science calling for investigations into the "lab leak theory". She thought "the letter would have the effect of promoting more funding for searching for natural viruses in animal reservoirs" and "did not anticipate that the letter would be used to promote the lab origin hypothesis." Looking back, she felt she had acted "perhaps naively", she said.

Many organisations and individuals from Malaysia have spoken out to criticise the US for politicising the origin-tracing of Covid-19 in various ways. For example, a local daily published an article on July 29 pointing out that the US has interfered with international cooperation in the Covid-19 origin investigation by politicising it, and there is no legal basis to make China bear legal responsibility for the pandemic.

At present, the overall situation of the global pandemic remains complex and serious, and the daily number of new confirmed cases is still high in many countries, including Malaysia.

Covid-19 origin-tracing is a race between science and the virus, and it is a serious and urgent scientific work. Origin-tracing should not be infected by political viruses. It should not be used as a tool to blame, suppress and contain a certain country, let alone split the international community.

As the Malay saying goes, "Bersatu kita teguh, bercerai kita roboh (United we stand, divided we fall).” Only when we unite will we be able to effectively and truly curb the spread of the virus and restore a prosperous, harmonious, and peaceful life to people around the world.

As a responsible country, China is willing to work with the international community to jointly safeguard the scientific nature of the origin study, jointly resist the retrogressive trend of politicising the issue and maintain a sound atmosphere for global anti-pandemic cooperation.

CHINESE CONSUL GENERAL

Penang

A VACCINE FOR BOYS & GIRLS

Gender Equality against HPV

By DR GEORGE LEE

PUTTING DR G ON THE SPOT
Sunday, 15 Aug 20219:02 AM MYT


Dear Dr. G,

I am sure you would agree that the Covid-19 pandemic has made all of us more aware about health matters, especially when it comes to protection and vaccination. Personally, I have begun reading up about the development of other vaccines and protection against other viruses and was surprised to find that the Human Papilloma Virus does not only affect women as apparently, the infection rates are in fact higher in men.

I am a nineteen-year-old man who will be starting university in the new year.

The university encourages us to take the Covid-19 vaccine before the semester begins and its health advisor also recommends that we consider other vaccines, such as the HPV vaccine.

I would like to put Dr. G on the spot for more details on the issues of HPV infection.

What exactly is HPV? How and when do we get infected with HPV?

Do men really get infected with HPV and what are the risks for men? Additionally, is such a vaccine new and safe for men?

I also read that Gender-Neutral Vaccination for HPV has been rolled out in many countries? Why are such programmes not available in Malaysia?

Thanks for clarification.

Regards

Gender-Neutral Garrett


The HPV (Human Papillomavirus) is a common virus that is transmissible through direct skin-to-skin contact.

There are more than 150 subtypes of HPV viruses, and nearly 40 are known to be transmissible by sexual contact.

Therefore, the virus is often considered the most common form of sexually transmitted infection, to the extent that nearly all sexually active men and women would get the virus at some point in their lives.

Most transmission of HPV have no identifiable symptoms, but with certain strains such as HPV6 and 11, the infection can result in the emergence of genital warts.

The transmission of HPV 16 and 18 are also linked to 70% of cervical cancers. In addition, scientists have also associated other cancers such as those of the penis, anus, and mouth with many strains of HPV infections.

One of the landmark discoveries in modern times is the link of HPV to cervical, oral, anal, and penile cancers. The German virologist Professor Harald Zur

Hausen was initially ridiculed by the medical world but won the 2008 Nobel Prize for his work in the last thirty years.

Of course, his work had also paved the way for the development of vaccines against HPV, with the hope of the eradication of the deadly cervical cancer.

The vaccine against HPV was approved in 2006 and has resulted in manyvaccination programs across the world.

The efficacy of the vaccines in preventing two strains of HPV that cause most cervical cancers were never in dispute.

However, critics argue that these two strains only account for 70% of the cancers, with the remainder being linked to other strains and as such vaccination programs may not deliver enough public health benefits to justify the cost.

In fact, in response to such concerns, the use of 9-valent HPV strain vaccines is already approved, targeting five additional strains of HPV. This adds 14% more protection for girls and 5% more for boys against several types of cancers.

For the last decade, The World Health Organization (WHO) has put the vaccine on the list of essential medicines and recommends routine vaccinations for girls in countries that can afford them.

In Malaysia, the Ministry of Health has provided the vaccines for 13-year-old schoolgirls attending government schools.

Even though parents have the option to opt out of the vaccination program, the take up rate in Malaysia is reported to be impressive at nearly 95%.

That said, although the vaccines have been shown to provide protection for boys from genital warts, certain cancers, and the potential to generate herd immunity for the future, the vaccination programs for boys is routine in only a handful of countries. In most countries, parents must decide to vaccinate their sons.

Recent publications have highlighted other alarming facts about the HPV infections in men.

Contrary to common belief, the prevalence of HPV infections is higher in men.

Studies have also revealed that the incidence of infection declines with advancing age in women, but a similar trend is not observed in men.

In keeping with such an observation, the generation of natural antibodies against HPV infection is noted to be deficient in men. The exact science behind the inability of men to raise enough natural protection against HPV is unknown, however it provides more argument for Gender-Neutral Vaccination.

One of the countries that has adopted a vaccination programs for both boys and girls is Australia.

The campaign is showing promising signs of generating herd immunity against the virus in the community. With such high-coverage vaccination and cervical cancer screening, cervical cancer is on track to be eliminated as a public health problem in Australia within one generation. The Greek philosopher and Scientist, Aristotle, once said that the “ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.”

When Dr. G is put on the spot for his view on HPV vaccination for men, his opinion is: “The power of contemplation and awareness of Gender Equality in the fight against HPV is crucial, rather than mere survival!”



Dr George Lee is a consultant Urologist and Clinical Associate Professor whose professional interest is in men’s health. The column “Ask Dr G” is a forum to help men debunk the myths and taboos on men’s issues that may be too “hard” to mention. You can send him questions at askdrg@thestar.com.my

China starts testing tech to harvest solar energy from orbiting panels

Ground facility to be finished this year as early trials focus on balloons just 300m away

Laura Dobberstein

REGISTER®

Tue 17 Aug 2021 /

A Chinese ground-based facility for converting solar energy bounced to Earth is scheduled for completion by the end of 2021 and has already conducted energy transfer tests up to 300-meter altitudes, a key project member told state-run media China Science Daily.

The project member, Zhong Yuanchang, is a professor at Chongqing University's School of Microelectronics and Communication Engineering. The power plant, called the Bishan Space Solar Power Station Experimental Base, or Bishan Base, is located in the Bishan district, about a 45-minute drive from the university. The base has a checkered past - it was conceptualized in 2010, but has started and stopped since as political and financial pressures intervened. As of June, the project is decidedly on.

The Earth-based station is designed to collect solar energy wirelessly from solar panel power stations in orbit. Solar power collected in space has the advantage of being unaffected by weather or that pesky thing called "night".

Bishan base is slated to be China’s first large-scale power station facility for testing, integrating observing and cultivating this new way of harnessing power. But for now, the researchers are building a small-scale test power station for use in 2030, and to do that, the team must test transmissions from low altitudes, before moving on to two km altitudes using ultra-high voltage power transmissions, before finally transmitting wirelessly from orbit. By 2050, China has dreams of a full on gigawatt-scale commercial space solar power station.

Zhong told China Science Daily that for now, the research team is using high-altitude balloons as a floating platform to carry out the 300 m altitude microwave power transmission tests.

The concept of solar panels beaming wireless power back to Earth is not new. In 1941 Isaac Asimov described such technology in his science fiction short story Reason and in the early 1970s Peter Glaser received a patent for a design to transmit power from satellites to Earth using microwaves.

NASA has explored the concept several times, and Japan's space agency (JAXA) began developing a space solar power system in 1998 that is still running.

The US Naval Research Laboratory has ongoing tests and labs exploring the technology, and Caltech is having a stab at it using the funds of a recently revealed anonymous billionaire's donation.

The UK Space Energy Initiative has also commissioned research and private British company International Electric is promising to eventually beam power straight down to static and mobile devices using its phased array, CASSIOPeiA.

But for now in China, clean solar energy anytime day or night might have to wait for the Chongqing University, Zhong, and the testing balloon to take new heights.®

China aims to use space-based solar energy station to harvest sun’s rays to help meet power needs

By STEPHEN CHEN
Tuesday, 17 Aug 2021

Support for the unconventional orbiting solar programme jumped after China announced its 2060 carbon neutral target. Civilian and military researchers will look at applications for the technology amid concerns about radiation and the potential for beams misfired from space. — SCMP


With more than a third of days marred by fog all year round, Chongqing city in southwestern China is not the ideal place for a solar power plant. But soon it will have the nation’s first experimental facility to test a revolutionary technology allowing China to send, and receive, a powerful energy beam from space in about a decade, according to scientists involved in the project.

Harvesting energy from the sun and beaming it to Earth using huge infrastructure in orbit has been regarded as science fiction, but according to a plan by the Chinese government, the nation will put a 1 megawatt solar energy station in space by 2030.


And by 2049, when the People’s Republic of China celebrates its 100th anniversary, the total power capacity of the plant or plants would increase to 1 gigawatt, the equivalent of the current largest nuclear power reactor.

After breaking ground in Heping village, Bishan district, three years ago, construction of the 100mil yuan (US$15.4mil or RM65.40mil) ground testing facility for the national space solar-power programme stopped, in part because of debates about cost, feasibility and safety of the technology.

The project resumed in June, according to the district government’s website.

Zhong Yuanchang, an electrical engineering professor involved in the project with Chongqing University, was quoted in the Beijing-based China Science Daily on Monday saying construction of the facility would be finished by the end of this year, meeting a tight deadline.

An intensive energy beam would need to penetrate the cloud efficiently and hit a ground station directly and precisely. Researchers at the Bishan facility will work on these and other projects.

A solar energy plant is not efficient because it only operates during the day, and the atmosphere reflects or absorbs nearly half the energy in the sunlight.

Since the 1960s, some space scientists and engineers have been attracted to the idea of a solar station in space. From an altitude of 36,000km (22,400 miles) or above, a geo-stationary solar plant can avoid the Earth’s shadow and see the sun 24 hours a day.

The energy loss in the atmosphere could also be reduced to the minimum (about 2 per cent) by sending the energy in the form of high-frequency microwaves.

Over the last few decades, various forms of solar power stations have been proposed from around the world but they remained theoretical because of major technical challenges.

At Bishan, Chinese researchers would first need to prove that wireless power transfer worked over a long distance.

Although the engineer and inventor Nikola Tesla popularised the idea in the late 19th century, the technology has been limited to only a small number of short-range applications, such as the wireless charger for smartphones.

Tesla failed in part because he made the electricity travel in the air like waves in all directions. To increase the effective range, the energy must be concentrated into a highly focused beam.

The Chinese researchers received wireless energy emitted from a balloon 300 metres (980 feet) above the ground. When the Bishan facility is complete, they plan to increase the range to more than 20km with an airship collecting solar energy from the stratosphere, according to the China Science Daily.

In Bishan, researchers will also experiment with some alternative applications of the technology, such as using the energy beam to power drones.

The core experimental zone will be 2 hectares (4.9 acres) and surrounded by a clearance zone five times larger. Local residents are not allowed to enter the buffer zone for their own safety, according to the district government.

The safety risk of a space solar plant is not negligible, according to some recent studies in China.

When the huge solar panels turn to chase the sun, for instance, they could produce small but persistent vibrations in the microwave beaming gun that could cause a misfire. The “space farm” would therefore need an extremely sophisticated flight control system to maintain its aim at a tiny spot on Earth.

Another hazard would be radiation. According to one calculation by a research team with Beijing Jiaotong University last year, residents could not live within a 5km range of the ground receiving station for the 1GW Chinese solar plant in space.

Even a train more than 10km away could experience problems such as sudden loss of communication because the frequency of the energised microwave would affect WiFi.

In an article posted on the website of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in May, professor Ge Changchun, a lead scientist in the national space solar plant programme, said the project had come up against much opposition.

But after the government announced its goal to be carbon neutral by 2060, it received strong support from the energy sector, he said.

Most new energy sources, such as solar and wind, are not stable. With other options, such as fusion nuclear technology still being technically uncertain, a space-based solar power system “will be a major strategic choice,” Ge wrote.

If China did not do it, the United States and other Western countries would, he added.

There is no civilian space solar station programme in the US at the moment. But in recent years, the US military has shown a growing interest in the technology.

The US Air Force, for instance, plans to send satellites in two or three years to verify key technology to beam energy to Earth. The energy would be used to power drones or remote military posts.

Potential applications for the technology extend beyond power supply to military uses. The energy beam could aim at a moving threat, such as hypersonic missiles and aircraft, or cause a communication blackout over an entire city, according to some defence contractors.

The research team in Chongqing could not be reached for comment. According to openly available information, the Bishan testing site will be a dual-use facility for military and civilian researchers.

Despite the controversies, space solar power technology plays an important role in China’s space development plan because it will stimulate the development of a wide range of cutting-edge technologies, including a superheavy rocket, a hypersonic space plane for low-cost transport, construction of massive orbital infrastructure and directed energy weapons, according to some Chinese space scientists informed about the programme.

China lags behind the US in space technology at present, but the programme will put China in a lead position in the race, they said. – South China Morning Post

Female macaque takes over as alpha of Japanese reserve

TAIPEITIMES.COM -- AUG 04


In a rarely seen phenomenon in the simian world, a nine-year-old female known as Yakei has become the boss of a 677-strong troop of Japanese macaque monkeys at a nature reserve on the island of Kyushu in Japan.

Yakei’s path to the top began in April when she beat up her own mother to become the alpha female of the troop at the Takasakiyama Natural Zoological Garden in the city of Oita. While that would have been the pinnacle for most female monkeys, Yakei decided to throw her 10kg weight around among the males.

In late June, she challenged and roughed up Sanchu, the 31-year-old alpha male who had been leader of “troop B” at the reserve for five years.

Surprised wardens at Takasakiyama, where there has never been a female monkey boss in the reserve’s 70-year history, carried out a “peanut test” on June 30, putting out nuts for the group and seeing who ate first.

Sanchu backed away and gave Yakei first dibs on the treat, confirming her alpha status.

“Since then, Yakei has been climbing trees and shaking them, which is an expression of power and a very rare behavior in females,” said Satoshi Kimoto, a guide at Takasakiyama.

“She has been walking around with her tail up, which is also very unusual for a female,” Kimoto said, adding that staff at the reserve were at a loss as to the causes of Yakei’s dominant antics.- 

  

BIG OIL BAIT AND SWITCH

Shell committed to its Gulf of Mexico 'production heartland'

Operator plans to drill more than 20 exploration wells in the Gulf of Mexico over the next three years


Committed: Shell's recently sanctioned Whale floating production unit is almost a complete replica of the Vito unit, helping the company deliver a low-cost host in the most efficient way possible

Photo: SHELL


17 August 2021 
By Jennifer Presley
UPSTREAM
in Houston

Anglo-Dutch supermajor Shell kicked off one of the world's top oil and gas conferences Monday by shedding light on the company's strategy to evolve as it moves forward in the energy transition.

Bill Langin, Shell's senior vice president of deep-water exploration, told Upstream why he believes Shell has an edge in the US Gulf deep-water and why the region has a lower-carbon advantage over other oil and gas plays.

Shell plans to drill 25 to 28 exploration wells in the Gulf of Mexico over the next three years, Langin said on the sidelines of the 2021 Offshore Technology Conference in Houston.

Achieving net zero emissions for Shell will include “some associated emissions for decades to come”, Langin said during an opening panel at the conference.

The company has stated that it will continue to spend about $1.5 billion annually on exploration, with a focus on extending the life of its eight core upstream positions and de-risking its current frontier position by 2025, with no new frontier entries anticipated to occur beyond then.

“We can add value from a financial perspective,” Langin said.

“We think we have the right cost base in places like the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, Brunei, Malaysia and others. But also, these deep-water positions offer some of the lowest net carbon footprint barrels globally.”

Shell will continue to explore for hydrocarbons as they are part of the “energy mix for decades to come, but we will do it in a very powerful way that allows us to bring together", he said.

Langin said that Shell will continue to leverage its significant position advantages in the Mars and Perdido corridors, as the positions enables scale and synergy.

"Vito in the Mars Corridor and Whale in Perdido build on positions that have been fundamental to the success of Shell over the past couple of decades and allow us to continue to see the Gulf as a core heartland for us for decades to come," he said.


Lurking Leopard found: Shell and Chevron unearth 'significant' deep-water US Gulf discovery

"We see both value and carbon footprints that will allow the Gulf to continue to be a core part of our business."
Low-carbon advantage

Langin explained that Shell sees the deep-water Gulf of Mexico as having among the lowest net carbon footprints of oil that can be produced because it possesses a few intrinsic properties that underpin that belief.

One is the high-pressure nature of the reservoir.

“The higher the pressure of the reservoir, the less energy you have to put in to get the oil out,” he said.

“And if you don’t have to put energy in, it means you don’t have to apply as much pressure at the topsides to push that in; if you need less topsides, less steel to construct it; and so, the whole thing just needs a lot less input than other areas of the world.”

The second property the Gulf of Mexico has in its favour is its long history as an oil and gas basin that has gas takeaway infrastructure.

“We can actually produce, export and sell the associated gas with the fields,” he said.

“And so, you don’t then have to reinject or flare or whatever you might be doing in some other areas around the world that might have higher carbon intensity.”

Langin explained that the Gulf’s third advantage is the high quality of US regulations.

“If you look at the operating standards for our facilities that then drive really high-quality design standards from the very beginning – we design our facilities with those underlying regulations in mind and then we operate to the highest possible standard,” he said.

“Every molecule that we capture and sell and don’t either burn or emit, is better business for us. And so, we want to design our facilities to be zero leaks and make sure that we are as energy efficient as possible.”(Copyright)

Read more
FID at Whale: Shell green lights key deep-water development offshore Gulf of Mexico
Shell’s deep-water Whale takes another leap forward
US Gulf operators set to break through pandemic logjam

JAPAN

Smoke confirmed at Hamaoka nuclear plant, 2nd reporting within week

KYODO -- AUG 18

Fire alarms went off at the Hamaoka nuclear plant in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, on Tuesday, and the operator confirmed smoke within a building, the second such reporting within a week at the currently suspended plant.

No leakage of radioactive material outside the plant has been confirmed, said the operator, Chubu Electric Power Co., after the incident at around 5:15 a.m. at the building that houses a turbine of the plant's No. 5 reactor.

The utility alerted a local fire station after a worker confirmed smoke. However, an on-site inspection conducted by the fire authorities led to the conclusion it was not a case of fire, the company said.

The alarms went off on the second and third floors of the four-story building with two underground levels, according to the utility.

  

Message: Nuclear must be represented at COP26, says World Nuclear Association

17 August 2021

Nuclear energy must get a fair representation at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties to be held 31 October to 12 November in Glasgow, World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y León has said in an open letter to COP26 President Alok Sharma. The full text of the 16 August letter is as follows.

We are deeply concerned about the news that every application on nuclear energy for the Green Zone at the upcoming COP26 conference has been rejected. We hope this is not indicative of how nuclear will be treated at COP26 as a whole. We would therefore urge you and the other organisers of COP26 to treat nuclear energy fairly and to ensure that it is well represented alongside other low carbon energy sources, in line with the recommendations made by numerous expert organisations.

The flagship report published by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe on 12 August reinforced the pivotal role that nuclear energy can play in effectively combatting climate change, whilst also building a more resilient society. This is not an isolated view; expert organisations from across the world, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the International Energy Agency, the OECD-Nuclear Energy Agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the MIT Energy Initiative have all concluded that nuclear energy is a crucial component in any realistic transition to a low-carbon future that is also cost-efficient. Indeed, the IPCC's "middle-of-the-road" scenario - which assumes that social, economic and technological trends would follow current patterns of development and no enforced changes in diet or travel habits - sees the demand for nuclear energy increase six times by 2050.

With only months to go before COP26 commences, last week's publication from the IPCC makes for sobering reading. The message from the scientific community is loud and clear: we need a dramatic step change to avert the very real harms of climate change. The enormity and the urgency of the challenge demand that we make the best use of all the tools at our disposal. As the largest single source of low-carbon electricity in developed nations, nuclear energy stands ready to continue to decarbonise the world's economy, alongside all other low carbon technologies.

In our efforts to combat climate change, we have a golden opportunity to at the same time build societies that are truly sustainable, clean and equitable. With the vast majority of the global population yet to reach the quality of life we enjoy in the UK, we need to find ways to meet the expected substantial increase in energy demand in ways that do not exacerbate carbon or air pollution emissions, thus unlocking the immense human potential that exists in all corners of the world. With its unique combination of features - being affordable, 24/7, reliable and resilient - and its low-carbon credentials, nuclear energy represents an essential component of any just clean energy transition.

COP26 provides a unique chance to redefine the future of humanity, and if we come together as one, we can accelerate global action to address climate change. This will, however, require a significant increase in ambition and political courage. The world is looking for thought leadership from the United Kingdom this November. World Nuclear Association has proudly represented the global nuclear industry in the UN Climate Change Conferences since COP5, and we look forward to continuing to make the case for nuclear power as a key technology for building a cleaner and brighter future in Glasgow.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Sama Bilbao y León

New island discovered south of Tokyo after submarine volcano erupts

JAPAN TODAY -- AUG 18

A new island has been discovered near Iwoto Island located around 1,200 kilometers south of Tokyo after a submarine volcano began erupting late last week, the Japan Coast Guard said Monday.

The new island is C-shaped, with a diameter of approximately one kilometer. It was discovered after the volcano some 50 km south of Iwoto in the Ogasawara Islands in the Pacific Ocean started erupting on Friday.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued warnings about smoke and large ash deposits in nearby waters as an active eruption is expected to continue.

The coast guard found the newly formed island when it observed the eruption from the air on Sunday, according to the weather agency. Pumice created by the volcanic activity was also found by the coast guard floating across a 60-km area in a northwest direction.

Given the location, however, the new island is unlikely to affect the country's territorial waters or exclusive economic zone even if it remains above the surface.

- Japan Today

  

Underwater Fukutoku-Okanoba volcano erupts strongly off Japan

PROPHETICWORSHIP GATHERING -- AUG 16

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported that a submarine eruption occurred at Fukutoku-Okanoba volcano at 06:20 local time on August 13, 2021. The eruption is still ongoing…

The eruptive plume of white vapor is being hit by lightning bolts caused by the friction of the pyroclasts expelled at high speed.

Fukutoku-Okanoba is a submarine volcano 5 km NE of the small pyramidal island Minami-iwo-jima in the Japanese Volcano Island chain.

Its summit is just 14 meters (46 feet) below sea level. Its last major eruption was in early February 2010. - PropheticWorship Gathering

 

WATCH AS VOLCANO UNDERWATER CREATES ITS OWN LIGHTING 

Wind power firm aims to nip nimbyism in the bud with tulip-shaped turbines

Words by
Positive News

August 16, 2021

Want to improve your business's eco-credentials, make an artistic statement and ward off nimby naysayers? Wind turbine firm Flower Turbines may be the ticket

For some, wind turbines symbolise a commitment to a greener planet; others see them as noisy, dangerous and ugly.

Now, a firm based in the Netherlands and also in the US hopes to counter nimby (not in my back yard) complaints with its tulip-shaped ‘eco-art’ design. Flower Turbines say their products pose no danger to birds or other wildlife, and create a noise that is at such a low frequency, humans can’t hear it.

They’re designed to be installed by businesses who want to improve their sustainability while making an artistic statement.

Roy Osinga (pictured, third from right), European director of Flower Turbines, said: “Our product – compared to big windmills – is silent, and good-looking, which makes it very successful for building in cities.”

Main image: Flower Turbines / Jan de Groen

WATER IS LIFE

  

Images show decline of California's 'life source'

Itochu's 'blue' ammonia from Canada to power Japan's green future

Large facility to produce 1m tons a year from natural gas

Itochu will build the new ammonia plant in an industrial zone in the Canadian province of Alberta.

FUMIE YAKU, Nikkei staff writer

August 3, 2021

TOKYO -- Japanese trading house Itochu is set to begin commercial production of ammonia in Canada in 2026 at what is slated to be one of the world's largest manufacturing facilities for the clean-burning fuel.

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Itochu's 'blue' ammonia from Canada to power Japan's green future - Nikkei Asia\

Japan’s Itochu joins forces on Canadian ammonia output

Japanese trading house Itochu plans to help produce and sell ammonia from gas in Canada's Alberta province from 2026, in a venture that will capture and store the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced.

Itochu will work on the project with Petronas Energy Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of Malaysian state-owned oil firm Petronas, and an unspecified Canadian infrastructure company. Itochu will be in charge of sales and logistics of the ammonia, considering potential exports to Japanese power, metal and petrochemical producers. The companies are targeting to start construction of the 1mn t/yr plant in 2023.

The companies plan to use natural gas generated from Petronas' oil fields in Alberta as the ammonia feedstock, while capturing and storing CO2 emitted during the production process to manufacture so-called blue ammonia. Itochu and the partners plan to send the CO2 to existing carbon capture and storage (CCS) facilities managed by Shell or Canadian companies to store it underground. They have not specified to which CCS facilities they will they send the CO2 to. Itochu is also discussing other uses for the CO2 but has not reached a decision.

Itochu has also agreed to study the feasibility of a blue ammonia value chain in Siberia with Russia's Irkutsk Oil. The trading house is leading a global group of 23 firms to research use of green ammonia as vessel fuels, with the fuel produced from renewable energy source with no emissions.

Japan is aiming to develop ammonia supply chains for the country's energy security. Japan's ministry of economy, trade and industry is targeting a 1pc share of hydrogen and ammonia for the first time in Japan's planned April 2030-March 2031 power mix.

By Nanami Oki

Itochu's 'blue' ammonia to power Japan's green future

NIKKEI -- AUG 03

Japanese trading house Itochu is set to begin commercial production of ammonia in Canada in 2026 at what is slated to be one of the world's largest manufacturing facilities for the clean-burning fuel.

Itochu has agreed to conduct a joint feasibility study with a Canadian subsidiary of Malaysian state energy company Petronas, as well as a local infrastructure company that builds gas pipelines. The $1.3 billion plant will manufacture ammonia from natural gas extracted from a field owned by the Petronas unit, making up to 1 million tons per year.

The trading house plans to ship the fuel to Japan, helping to bring the coal-reliant country a step closer to meeting its emissions-cutting goals. Ammonia generates no carbon dioxide when burned and can be blended with coal to reduce emissions at fossil-fuel power plants.

Plans call for breaking ground on the facility in an Alberta industrial zone in 2023. Itochu and the local infrastructure company will set up a joint venture for the plant. The trading house will handle most of the sales as well as set up a transportation network.

Ammonia is produced by stripping away hydrogen from natural gas and combining it with nitrogen. Itochu plans to capture and store carbon dioxide produced in the process. The resulting fuel, made with a reduced climate impact, is so-called blue ammonia, as opposed to "green" ammonia made using renewable energy sources such as solar power.

Ammonia from the new plant will be shipped from western Canada by sea to Itochu's home country, mainly for sale to power companies as well as manufacturers that generate their own power, such as steel and chemical makers.

A million tons of ammonia blended with coal at a 20-80 ratio is enough to power two 1-gigawatt power station units for a year. The Japanese government aims to have the country consume 3 million tons of ammonia fuel each year by 2030.