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Ben Heard

Ben Heard is a doctoral student at the University of Adelaide, examining pathways for the decarbonisation of Australian electricity with the inclusion of nuclear energy.

As director of (currently in hiatus) ThinkClimate Consulting he delivered modelling of carbon neutral pathways for South Australia's largest local government and recently advised the South Australian Freight Council in a detailed report called Green Freight.

Ben’s appreciation of the climate crisis forced a rethink of his long-held opposition to nuclear power. In early 2011 he delivered his seminal presentation Nuclear Power: From Opponent to Proponent to a strong response. Ben has since become one of Australia’s most prominent nuclear advocates, presenting his work to audiences large and small around Australia including the 2011 Local Government Association State Conference, the 2012 Frontiers in Science conference and a landmark televised nuclear debate victory in 2012. Ben has written on nuclear power extensively in print and on-line media, including a recent popular article for ABC Environment, Renewable vs nuclear is the wrong battle. His advocacy website, Decarbonise SA, has become a popular resource, attracting over 100,000 hits.

In 2012 he launched his independently funded research Zero Carbon Options, with a first-of-a-kind direct comparison of nuclear and renewable options for the replacement of coal-fired electricity in Australia. In July 2013 he was a presenter and panellist for the ATSE conference "Nuclear power for Australia?"

Ben lives in Adelaide with wife Gemma Munro and their two children.

Climate Change Series

Location, location, location: why South Australia could take the world's nuclear waste

May 12, 2016 03:07 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

South Australias Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission has recommended the state investigate an international storage site for intermediate and high-level (spent fuel) nuclear waste. This coincides with the shortlisting...

Economy

US CPI Report: What January's Inflation Means for Your Wallet and the Economy

On February 12, the CPI for January 2025 will be declared at 8:30 EST.According to economists, there will be a 2.8% increase in living expenses over the next year, which is merely 2% lower than the 2.9% increase recorded...

Strengthening Ties: Modi and Trump Eye Trade, Defense, and Energy Cooperation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to the United States on February 12-13, 2025, and discuss several matters with President Trump concerning trade, defense, and energy. One of the big points will be on reduction...

Hong Kong to Challenge U.S. Tariffs at WTO Amid Trade Tensions

Hong Kong plans to file a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over the recent 10% U.S. tariffs imposed on its goods, Chief Secretary Eric Chan announced Tuesday. Chan criticized the move, stating that the...

Trump’s Tariff Plan Puts Brazil and Mexico on Alert

Brazil and Mexico, two top steel exporters to the U.S., are waiting to see if President Donald Trump announces new 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports before reacting. If implemented, the tariffs would mark another...

Trump Administration Weakens Consumer Protection, Impacting Credit and Banking

The Trump administration has significantly weakened the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), leaving consumers vulnerable to unfair financial practices. Acting chief Russell Vought halted the agencys...

Politics

Trump's USAID Cuts Leave $8.2B in Aid Unmonitored, Watchdog Warns

The Trump administrations move to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has severely weakened oversight of $8.2 billion in unspent foreign aid, according to a report by the agencys Office of the...

Egypt Rejects Trump's Gaza Displacement Plan in Talks with U.S.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reaffirmed Arab opposition to former U.S. President Donald Trumps plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Abdelatty...

Trump Threatens to End Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Over Hostages

U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Monday that if all hostages held in Gaza are not released by Saturday at noon, he would push to cancel the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and allow all hell to break loose. Speaking from the...

Trump Signs Executive Order Promoting Plastic Straws

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday pushing for the return of plastic drinking straws in the U.S., reversing efforts to reduce single-use plastics. Were going back to plastic straws, Trump declared at...

U.S. Military Bans Transgender Recruits and Halts Transition Procedures

The U.S. military has officially banned transgender individuals from enlisting and suspended all gender transition procedures for service members, according to a memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth filed in court on...

Science

South African telescope discovers a giant galaxy that’s 32 times bigger than Earth’s

Inkathazos glowing plasma jets are shown in red and yellow. The starlight from other surrounding galaxies can be seen in the background. K.K.L Charlton (UCT), MeerKAT, HSC, CARTA, IDIA, CC BY You may not know it, but right...

It’s science, not fiction: high-tech drones may soon be fighting bushfires in Australia

Picture this. Its a summer evening in Australia. A dry lightning storm is about to sweep across remote, tinder-dry bushland. The next day is forecast to be hot and windy. A lightning strike tonight could spark a fire that...

Earth is bombarded with rocks from space – but who gets to keep these ultimate antiques?

Every day, about 48.5 tonnes of space rock hurtle towards Earth. Meteorites that fall into the ocean are never recovered. But the ones that crash on land can spark debates about legal ownership. Globally, meteorite hunting...

Most of us trust scientists, shows a survey of nearly 72,000 people worldwide

Public trust in scientists is vital. It can help us with personal decisions on matters like health and provide evidence-based policymaking to assist governments with crises such as the COVID pandemic or climate change. In...

Astronauts on NASA’s Artemis mission to the Moon will need better boots − here’s why

The U.S.s return to the Moon with NASAs Artemis program will not be a mere stroll in the park. Instead it will be a perilous journey to a lunar location representing one of the most extreme environments in the solar...

Technology

Elon Musk’s $97.4B Bid to Acquire OpenAI Faces Rejection from Sam Altman

Elon Musks consortium has offered $97.4 billion to acquire OpenAIs nonprofit arm, escalating tensions between Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over the AI companys shift to a for-profit model. Altman quickly dismissed the...

CATL Eyes $5 Billion Hong Kong Listing Amid Market Challenges

Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (SZ:300750), or CATL, is reportedly preparing to file for a Hong Kong listing this week, aiming to raise at least $5 billion. According to sources cited by Reuters,...

BYD’s Smart Driving Push Sparks Price War Concerns, Pressures Rivals Xpeng and Geely

Shares of Chinese EV makers Xpeng (NYSE:XPEV) and Geely Auto (HK:0175) plummeted on Tuesday, down 5.9% and 7.2%, respectively, following BYDs (SZ:002594) game-changing move to offer advanced driver-assistance systems...

DeepSeek’s AI Surge Sparks Short-Selling Conspiracy Amid Market Disruptions

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is facing repeated website crashes and cybersecurity concerns, raising suspicions that its sudden rise was a strategic move to manipulate the market. On the Navellier Market Buzz podcast,...

Tesla's Shanghai Megafactory Begins Megapack Battery Production

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) has officially started production at its Shanghai battery megafactory, dedicated to manufacturing its high-capacity Megapack energy storage systems, according to Chinas state news agency, Xinhua. The...