Hasbeen,

to clarify my opinion, i acknowledge there is a lot of conflicting evidence, but generally agree with thrust of global warming debate and a need to curtail emissions. That is my lay person opinion, and I think most Aust's share this position.

However, i dont see any solution yet, and believe that any solution should not merely disadvantage developed nations (such as Australia) with ongoing growth of emmissions fuelled by less accountable nations.

I also think that alternative energy sources, assuming they become affordable and deliver a net benefit to a naiton (and perhaps all nations), should always be explored.

Chris Lewis,

The key word you used was "evidence".

There "isn't" a "lot" of conflicting evidence.

(There is only more and better information being synthesised)

"A lot of conflicting evidence" is what deniers want the general public to believe.

And if you call them out on it - first they abuse you, and then they lay it all at the feet of some grand and all encompassing conspiracy by over 11,000 climate scientists.

Poirot, there is always a lot of problems collating all available evidence in regard to any trend proposition.

What i meant to say is that, despite two sides to debate and some problems in the way evidence is presented, i favour the majority view. My opinion is that we should do something aout rising emissions, as proposed by the Coalition too

Hi Chris.
We make ceramic fuel cells here.
And it shows just how uninformed the uninformed really are, given one poster described them as>ceramic microbes<!
This really does smack of moribund denialism; or, a vested interest in the status quo.
If I had my druthers, every high rise, town ,village or suburb, would treat their biological waste in a smell free, two tank closed cycle system, (Aussie innovation) that produces endlessly available methane.
After scrubbing, bladder stored methane, can be used to power solid state ceramic fuel cells, and provide 24/7 power.
And water cooled fuel cells provide endlessly available free hot water. (More Aussie innovation)
The addition of food scraps/wastage creates a saleable surplus!
The by products include pristine water, collected from the water vapour, which is the main exhaust product of the fuel cells!
Plus, reusable nutrient loaded water, eminently suitable for some endlessly sustainable companion oil rich algae production. [Doesn't fuel at 45 cents a litre, sound inviting?]
And carbon rich, soil improving, sanitised organic fertilizer, rich in both phosphate and nitrates.
We currently spend a fortune and expend energy pumping this stuff out to sea, where it does nothing but harm.
Plastic bags can be packed into bales and used in lieu of coal in steel making.
Better that and less total carbon pollution, than having plastic, finding its way into endangered or threatened marine life!
CNG powered fuel cells, would make an electric car, more than a match for the current raft of conventional vehicles.
We have lots of natural gas, but import around 85% of our conventional fuel requirements.
Forget the probable environmental harm!
This massive importation is doing economic harm, and places us in a position of quite massive dependency, on an increasingly volatile Middle East!
Yes sure, those with a vested interest in the status quo, will obfuscate and prevaricate, at the thought of competition, they have absolutely no chance of ever matching!
Cheers, Rhrosty.

Chris, the industrial revolution started in Northern England.
Two factors brought it into existence.
Comparatively costly labour and very cheap energy!
That revolution gave Britain its wealth and an empire.
America became an economic powerhouse, by the application of cheap energy into steel making and mass production.
Great Britain is no longer great, with most of its foreign possessions returned to their rightful owners.
The American Midwest, once the industrial heartland of the USA, is now a rust belt, with economic conditions every bit as bad as the Great Depression.
However, innovation and high tech seem to be providing some economic resuscitation?
NG has dropped to just one third of its former price and many American firms are returning!
The most energy dependant industries high tech; and the next industrial revolution, will be a high tech one.
We could with practical pragmatism, become the centre of the next industrial revolution, by providing the world's cheapest energy.
Thorium, cheaper than coal, could be one option, as does placing our future industrial parks, right alongside these future publicly owned power plants.
We have enough thorium to power the world for 600 years!
Publicly owned examples seem to be able to quite massively undercut the fully privatised model, by as much as 400%?
And eliminating the need to push power down hundreds of miles of wire, halves it yet again.
This latter solution, would quite literally halve the cost of energy, given around 50% losses occur in the great white elephant of a national grid/multi-billion dollar transmission lines.
Leaders don't prevaricate or obfuscate, or wait for somebody else to show the way!
They just Lead!
Cheers, Rhrosty.

Rhrosty, good stuff.

I agree with you. There are many examples, some here and many around the world, where waste is collected and recyled. The Swedes do it with animal waste. Given we have a significant agricultural sector, why cant the two fields go together here as well.

Why cant we take up new ideas. Here in Wodonga, they have an excellent waste collection set up. There may be an inital cost, but the benefits must also be significant.

The other ideas you mention do indeed deserve attention.

The subject on energy is very interesting. I need to learn a lot more about it. Please send me anything i may find useful to
c11lewis@yahoo.com.au

Cheers,

Chris Lewis