runner: We're only screwed because we refuse to face facts!

The first being power is just too expensive for most industrial processes.

If we would have a manufacturing base? And essential for our self reliant security!

We need affordable power!

For the steel industry and electric arc furnaces.

If we make steel here, more affordable on a global market, we can undercut Chinese steel!

Were we to take that route and we could! Most coal and iron ore mining could continue apace, until well into the next century!

And no displaced worker would be on the scrap heap very long!

Yet exactly where most are heading without some very dramatic and pragmatic policy change that puts Australia and Australians first and foremost! And the sovereign risk of carpetbagging, debt laden, tax avoiding, profit repatriating foreigners last!

We have abundant local expertise and a two trillion dollar super fund, which could, with wise legislation! Leverage another two trillion of lazy money now cooling its heels in corporate coffers!

If wisely led, enable those aforementioned funds, to create myriad employee owned and operated co-ops? To get all manner of manufacture and production happening/all able bodied folk who want to work gainfully employed in an employment paradigm; that keeps our money here doing the economic work of seven times as much money.

As opposed to the endless drain and premiums at the checkout, compounded by endless captive market price gouging!

Affordable carbon free energy is one key! Intelligent, real tax reform is the other!

Coal fired power should be progressively replaced by massively more efficient far less costly thorium!

If the diabolical dithers need time to divest themselves and their trusts whatever, of shares in thermal coal projects etc? We should give them all the time they need to make that adjustment!

Say, until this Christmas? Any longer and we'll surely know? They're and have been just having a lend of us and our real concerns for all those who follow!

Can we do vastly better?

Yes we can! And time!
Alan B.

Alan B if this thorium molten salt is so easy and cheap why was it never adopted? Please do not tell me that any company seeing this opportunity would not be straight into it?
The real answer is a very large brown coal power station in the Latrobe Valley. If the Libs put this in as policy and with a defined very low price for consumers they would romp home. The ABC and attendant gliterati will squeal but they always do so they can elect to pay extra to the large power utilities themselves.

'Coal fired power should be progressively replaced by massively more efficient far less costly thorium!"

That is the way to go. But as that is not politically correct as renewables are left out of the picture, the two major parties will not listen, and Australia will continue to go down the gurgler.

Joe Room, Physicist; has made a comment to the effect that we are not doomed, but choosing to be doomed.

Trump has blamed Puerto Rico for putting the US budget out of whack. The combined costs of Harvey, Irma, Maria and wildfires on the West Coast of the US are said to be up to $300 million.
Since those storms Costa Rica, Nicoragua, Montana US, Germany, Poland, Norway, India, Indonesia, Brazil,and Mexico have been hit by major storms. The kind of storms where cars are inundated; trucks turned over, and major damage to housing happens. These events occurred between 1 -8 October 2017, Bundaberg had a mention in relation to a tornado.
Also, there have been 1,500 structures burnt in wild fires in California.#

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3SF9c97_KM&feature=share

#http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-napa-fires-20171009-story.html

There have been 34 similar films created about extreme weather since 20-22 June 2017.

Oceans are warming as is the atmosphere, a recipe for rain bombs happening where huge amounts of rain falls in a very short period.

https://eos.org/opinions/taking-the-pulse-of-the-planet

Whoops, costs for the major storms was $300 billion, not 300 million.

An annotated version of the Wallace-Wells New York Times which caused much controversy when originally published.
No doubt home owners who comment on On Line Opinion have insurance on their homes and contents; even though, the risk of homes being lost by fire is quite remote. The Wallace-Wells annotated article suggests risk factors are high in relation to climate change.

A number of references provide evidence to show how temperature has impact on the strength obtained by Tropical Storms.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-04/cyclone-and-extreme-weather-events-intensifying-bom-says/8869042

http://www.newscientist.com/article/2146562-hurricane-irmas-epic-size-is-being-fuelled-by-global-warming/

http://insideclimatenews.org/news/06092017/hurricane-irma-harvey-climate-change-warm-atlantic-ocean-questions

http://www.wired.com/story/what-are-the-odds-of-a-super-storm-like-harvey/

http://time.com/4933743/hurricane-irma-climate-change-global-warming/

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-41082668

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/08/549280066/hurricanes-are-sweeping-the-atlantic-whats-the-role-of-climate-change

http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=132&v=9mKC49AUVUo

What Alan B says about thorium is basically correct but so far no
prototype is up and running. Both India & China are working on them,
but any result is some years away.
No one will invest until it is proven.
In the meantime we can continue with coal fired stations.
We have no need to rush down the solar/wind/battery path with its enormous costs.
"ENORMOUS COSTS" you scream ! Yes if you want 24/7 guaranteed power
come rain shine & hail.
It falls down because of battery recharging after overcast still days.
The battery costs will overwhelm everything else.