ant: "Fossil fuel companies are benefitting from global subsidies of $5.3tn (£3.4tn) a year, equivalent to $10m a minute every day, according to a startling new estimate by the International Monetary Fund."

Could you clear something up for me there. I've seen a figure in the trillions like this before and have wondered what exactly are these subsidies. I've assumed that they are indirect subsidies and not direct subsidies. So what are these subsidies?

thinkabit

Read the reference provided.

The IMF is quite a conservative organisation.

ant: OK, I've just read the reference. So it turns out that direct subsidies are only about 333bn of the 5.3tn, the rest is indirect. And of the indirect it is almost all externalities.

Ie, the figure is *extremely* rubbery.

thinkabit

For the damage done $333bn is not much of an investment in fossil fuel companies.
The costs do not take into account the number of lives lost, in the millions from emissions.
Lord Stern believes the figures are quite conservative, he has provided a study in the past.

It is easy to say the figures are rubbery; but, what evidence do you have to support your opinion?

Craig,

I have provided 2 solid references which is one more than you have ever provided.

1 - link to Sydney council indicating that the bio waste suitable for power generation from Sydney is about 200 000 t/yr. Given that an optimistic yield would give 1 ton of biomass =1 -2 MWhr 16.3 TWhr will require at least 8 megatons of biowaste p.a.

2 - The link crescent dunes gives the details from my post.

For the rest try and do your own research, if you have any hope of being an engineer, you will be able to find most of this information. If you find anything contrary to what I've said, feel free to discuss it, don't expect to be spoon fed.

Ah, but Shadow Minister, I provided you a comprehensive peer-reviewed report co-authored by no less than 5 experts in various fields, that was published in June this year, just 2 months after it was received. There was one revision asked for, which must have been minor, because it took less than a month.

For those interested, this is the DOI:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.06.151.

The report is titled:

"Simulating low-carbon electricity supply for Australia"

The authors are:

Manfred Lenzen a, Bonnie McBain b,⇑, Ted Trainer c, Silke Jütte d, Olivier Rey-Lescure b, Jing Huang e
a ISA, School of Physics A28, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
b School of Environment & Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
c School of Social Work, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia
d Seminar für Supply Chain Management & Management Science, University of Cologne, D-50923 Köln, Germany
e CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Flagship, Yarralumla, ACT 2601, Australia"

If anyone wants to explore further, I will happily publish the bibliography of some 90 references here, under Fair Use.

You provided a pamphlet and a wiki page...

I'll leave the reader to work out which is more credible.