Unfortunately Grim, the government is flat out encouraging other
countries to burn our resources.

BTW, LPG comes from petroleum. Perhaps you meant Compressed Natural Gas
CNG which is quite a different matter.
It is not without its difficulties as I found out when I looked into it.
It is however quite a practical solution for us to use as a transition fuel.
In some countries you can buy compressors to use in your garage to
refill your cars tank from the domestic gas supply.
I believe the tank size/milage range is a problem.
There are quite a few NG power stations being built now to cope with
wind variation and the sun going down and clouds.

It was clear from Julia Gillards answers on that blog that she does
not understand the problems of having a 24/365 electricity supply.
On those grounds alone she has to be replaced ASAP.

Oh by the way, there has been a flood of articles quoting someone at
the Harvard Business School saying that the US will become as big an
oil exporter as Saudi Arabia.
WEll that has been thoroughly put down by a number of experts.
Here is just one that also comments on the Ponzi like scheme of shale
oil and gas.

http://tinyurl.com/7bzaygv

George Monbiot also got sucked in but was answered also on the Guardian
by Jeremy Leggart.

The peak oilers aren't glass half full people but glass full of sand; what pessimists. Here's the answer: oil from CO2; win win!

http://www1.umn.edu/news/news-releases/2011/UR_CONTENT_314387.html

Cohenite, that’d be absolutely wonderful if we could develop ‘renewable petroleum’ using bacteria and CO2.

But hey, this is just what the ‘peak oilers’ want – renewable energy, which can hopefully replace oil reasonably smoothly, without too much of a difference in price and hence without too much economic and social disturbance…. and which is CO2-neutral to boot!

Methinks your knocking of peak oilers is a tad misplaced!

Of course, we need to know what the true potential of bacterial fuels is before we can crow too much about it. But it does sound like something into which a whole lot of energy and funding should be going.

Ahhh yes Cohenite it might well be just what we need.
Many are also chasing the magic algae bullet.

However that is the proof that in fact the glass IS full of sand.
There is no doubt that the amount of oil we can burn is limited, not
because it will run out but because we will not be able to afford it.
Also it will soon require a barrel of oil to produce a barrel of oil !
We have come down from 100/1 for early wells down to 3/1 for oil shales.
Even before we reach that ultimate zero point we will be forced to
stop using it.

Another illustrious article Tom, I would wholeheartedly support any endeavours you may harbour to enter politics.
Your use of “lost message” in your title, rings true at deafening decibels. Julia Gillard stepped into a jail cell and slammed the door shut behind her, when she promised that a carbon tax was both unwarranted and unscheduled, during her current three year term. Behind bars and with one hand tied behind her back, she has failed to enlist the abundant enlightened support, of our competently credentialed scientific community. Preferring to shadow box Tony Abbott and his flat earth followers, like an old floundering punch drunk pug.

Julia Gillard has failed to sell the benefit of both the “sizzle" and the abundant life preserving nutrients of the “sausage”. Gillard undoubtedly our best parliamentary performer of the last decade, has not been able to relocate these talents, outside Canberra. Her story is weak, nobody is buying it, and she should not be trying to sell it.

It is now inevitable that she will soon be replaced by Kevin Rudd

DIVIDE & RULE