Now, everybody 'knows’ how unpopular Shorten was, and how bad ALP policies were. And the Coalition win should not have been a surprise. Well, it was a surprise only to those saps who keep believing polls and 'experts’. You don't get a prize for picking the winner after it's all over!

“ The most obvious conclusion to draw from the election is that voters readily differentiate between state and federal issues”. No. Nothing to learn from the election; that's always been the case. And, it was always “clear that climate change was not the issue that Labor, the Greens and GetUp! were telling us it was” to the non-ideological, non-Green/Labor sensible silent majority.

Four pages of bumf from an ex-politician unaware that most of us are well ahead of him and his kind.

Bernie, You are a gold plated dunderhead. We Just don't have decades any more than the warm and comfortable frog being slowly warming in a bowl of water slowly brought to the boil! Your article suggests all we need do is adapt?

What next Genius? Life on Venus? And because even on the hottest planet in the solar system and in the habitable Goldilocks zone! Life will always adapt?

Simply put genius, we don't have decades to address climate change! We have if we're smart and lucky one decade! And in a future that can not only include coal but a massive economic expansion and jobs jobs jobs. If we must use up and sell ur finite coal reserves as fast as we can, we need to demonstrate we can do so AFFORDABLY, without adding very much to the planet's CO2 load.

And requires a complete change in the way we make and transmit dispatchable coal-fire power.

First, Cook the coal in a closed and sealed environment to extract every ounce of methane gas and using only flameless heat! (Solar thermal?)

then transmit this gas directly to the end user where ceramic fuel cells transform scrubbed gas to electricity on demand! With endless free hot water as one of the byproducts.

The exhaust product of this method is mostly pristine water vapour! And gas can be produced when the sun shines and store in bulk to allow for a total eclipse of the sun for over two weeks.

Clean coal enthusiasts happily propose thousands of miles of leased pipelines to carry away CO2 emissions, yet bag the idea of a similar gas grid that we own and build creating thousands of jobs in steel and construction across the nation as a first consequence.

Go figure the mind of those welded to mindless vested interest? That said there are far more cost-effective means of generating and transmitting power. See my earlier commentary.
Alan B.

Miles and miles of wires could b replaced by under pavement and or roads, Graphene film. And because graphene is besides being the strongest material on the planet, also a superconductor.

That would also eliminate much of the considerable transmission and distribution losses. Losses (75%?) which the consumer still nonetheless pays for and usually through the neck.

Moreover, under asphalt, graphene would allow those roads to become literal, miles long, charging mats (magnetic induction) that charge future electric vehicles on the go and paid for with tolls like those now applied to some commuter highways using cameras.

Tonnage, size and distance impacting on the monthly invoice. And end any range limitations on non-carbon emitting electric vehicles.
Alan B.

'Human-caused climate change is real' . Telling lies often enough don't make them true. A baby born with a penis is male.

in reply to ttbn: you wrote "“ The most obvious conclusion to draw from the election is that voters readily differentiate between state and federal issues”. No. Nothing to learn from the election; that's always been the case."

It may have always been the case but the ALP clearly believed that state voting results would translate into federal polling results. How else do you explain their belief that they'd win up to 5 seats in WA and several seats in Victoria?

reply to Alan B:

You wrote "We Just don't have decades any more ..... Your article suggests all we need do is adapt?"

Australia's chief scientist Alan Finkel says we have several decades to solve the climate change problems, so please read what he's had to say and then tell him why he's wrong. I'm happy to accept his advice.

And, while adaptation is one option, it's not an option I support, hence why I'm suggesting we stop putting taxpayer money into solar subsidies etc and instead fund cutting-edge research and development so that we can help the world develop the technologies needed to reduce humanity's global CO2 footprint.