//Thanks, Toni. I suppose nuclear, either way ?//

Seems the most reasonable option to me, but I'm probably biased.

But I will note that it has the best safety record of any type of power generation. What value can you place on a human life? WH&S matters.

//we may have to deliberately burn coal and oil and gas to keep enough CO2 in the atmosphere to enable plant growth//

I think if you look at some history prior to the industrial revolution, you'll be pleasantly surprised to discover that pre-industrial revolution levels of atmospheric CO2 were quite sufficient to enable plant growth.

//or thinking the "greenhouse effect is a myth" (no one thinks that anyway).//

You'd be suprised, mhaze. I have personally witnessed really far-out climate change deniers to flatly declare Svante Arhennius' work on the subject to be a load of codswallop, only believed by deranged lefties. Who'd'a thunk physics could be so controversial?

Then again, this is 2018, and science seems to be less fashionable than it was a few decades ago. Anti-vaxxers seem to be everywhere, my youtube recommendations keep trying to convince me that I want to watch videos from flat-earthers (I really don't), and the public trust that once existed in science seems to be eroding.

Still, you gotta laugh, don't ya?

http://xkcd.com/1278/

//and, more importantly, recognising that Australia's efforts are effectively useless as regards any future warming.//

Our contribution to global emissions probably is fairly small, but that's true of a lot of countries. All those small numbers add up to a big number. Are you familiar with the tragedy of the commons?

Lets get pragmatic about this subject. If we are not going to run out of power, then we will have no alternative to building more coal fired powered stations. With all the best will in the world, no other base load supply can be built in the time available.

David

The trouble 3AUU, is that if they let a contract tomorrow it would
probably take five years to get it on line.
However by the time it battles through the green tape it will probably
take about eight years !
So we will have a major problem for many years.
By that time we will need another one.

73 Bazz

Update; there is a medium breeze in Sth Aus, now generating 648 MW !
Wow !

"climate change deniers to flatly declare Svante Arhennius' work on the subject to be a load of codswallop"

Ahhhh. You're confusing the greenhouse effect and Anthropological Global Warming aka the enhanced GHE.

The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomena governed by water vapour and the assumed natural level of CO2. Without the greenhouse effect the earth's average temperature would be negative 10 degrees or so. With it the average is plus 14 degrees or so.

"All those small numbers add up to a big number. Are you familiar with the tragedy of the commons?"

Actually they don't add up to a big number. The top 10 countries make up 79% of total emmissions. Australia isn't one of them. The top 15 make up 87% of emissions. Australia isn't one of them. The other 170 or so countries make up the other 13%. If they all adopted our policy of reducing emissions by 20% the reduction would be offset by one year's increase in emissions from China and India alone ie utterly worthless other than giving those of a certain leaning the warm inner glow of self-flagellation.

The tragedy of the commons refers to farmers of roughly equal wealth using approximately the same amount of the commons without regard to its upkeep. But here we have some users trashing the commons with impunity while others like us, who use a small corner of the common field, are admonished for that minor use.

If we adhere to our promises to reduce emissions, the effect on world temperatures will be so small that there are no instruments currently precise enough to measure the supposed reduction. Using the maths used by the IPCC the theoretic reduction in temperatures in 2100 as a result of our sacrifice will be about 0.0007 degrees. Now that's a tragedy.

Update Sth Aus generating 49 Mwatts, oh dear, the input from
Queensland is keeping the lights on in Adelaide.
Victoria is contributing some 155 Mwatts.
This is typical of what you see day to day.