Great to see an author who counters all the Pro Climate Change Cult articles/comments. COP26 exposed the Climate Change Cultism at its rawest..

Its not about science and saving Planet Earth, its about politics social engineering and redistribution of wealth, by the elites who control the world economies from their Bizjets and Limos!

Compare this to Binoy K's article earlier this week, which was just a synopsis of articles he had received form the luvies who attended this luv-in in freezing wet Glasgow

Save us from the gabfests about the gabfest. All the talk in the world won't save us from the climate crooks, including those in our own political class. I mean, how stupid is Treasurer Frydenberg’s claim that going to net zero was an economic as well as an environmental imperative. If we didn’t do exactly what we were told to do by a powerful group of climate-obsessed, carpetbaggers, fund managers and wealthy renewables investors, our economy would be devastated. What a cowardly muttonhead!

The policy push towards lowering greenhouse gas emissions will never go away.

It will be just hard achieving the goal.

This is garbage in garbage out political spin!

Anybody that does not see the irrefutable evidence only the willfully blind don't see! Is brain dead, a dribbling moron or worse, a divisive neo-Nazi? Or all of the above?

Without question, the climate has changed! And our ability to reverse recent trends dependant on a transition to carbon-free fuel ASAPb And if the above referenced don't get that that has to be carbon-free, dispatchable, reliable, AFFORDABLE, SAFE nuclear energy! Then they have made my case for me! Two models come to mind and both are molten salt models that have had the remaining bus ironed out.

And here I am saying MSR thorium or MSR nuclear waste burners. The latter comes with annual millions that could fund the entire build and deployment, plus, jobs, jobs, jobs!

We need cando pragmatists not fearmongering morons or do nothing coal-fired looney tunes!

Or worse, political activists who put personal wealth above our ability to defend the nation with the tools we need to do just that!
Alan B.

But Alan B, climate has to change its part of the planets processes and has been for 4 billion years. BUT , and I repeat BUT, Carbon Dioxide from burning fossils fuels has 2 tenths of bugger-all to do with it.

What I do agree with is that is a a waste of very valuable organic resources ( Oil coal, gas), when we could use Nuclear and renewables where they are economically viable (not subsidized). Yes even your worshipped MSR might get in on the act.

Carbon Dioxide is the golden Egg that Greenies have been praying to Gaia for since the 1970s, and idiots like you still think their sane. Come on down to the real world and stop dreaming in the cloud with those climate change cultists Alan!

These people expect us to pay for our own extermination.
The problem is there's so many muppets, that they're probably going to succeed.

I am not sure about us being stooged.

I think some countries, like the US, Australia and Canada, can find a an effective middle ground.

I do not see how resisting global sentiment 100% will help Australia, especially for a country like Australia that relies very much on trade.

The Treasurer is right to point out the direction of markets and investment. that is the real world.

There should at least be an honest discussion of cost. For example, a 2019 article comparing French nuclear with German renewables observed,

"France has gotten about 400 TWh per year from nuclear while all of Germany's renewables (solar, wind and biomass) amounts to about 220 TWh. ... France's cost was $1 billion to build each terawatt hour per year of clean energy. Germany's cost is $2.5 billion to build each terawatt hour per year of relatively clean energy.11 Nov 2019"

yet the renewable energy advocates insist that nuclear is prohibitively expensive and that renewables are cheaper than coal. Why do these patent lies go unchallenged?

Fester, quite simple really:-

1. The likes of Malcolm Turnball(and his bizjet owning mate Twiggy Forester) and the venture/investment capital elites see profit in solar/renewables ( Feck Turnball even approved his mate Paul Broad to get approval to build Snowy 2.0 ( which should never be built).

2. The media is leftwing and luvs China. They want the West to decline and the globalisation agenda delivered.

Unfortunately in both caes, the Chines, Russians, Indians and the Arab nations are taken us all for a one way ride to 'Suicide-ville".

Well, this is my take.

The next move along the line from neurosis is psychosis, so how will that present itself with climate change nutters?

Dan

Alison Jane.

*… The likes of Malcolm Turnball…*

Shouldn’t that read; “Malcolm Left Ball” ?

Dan

If we can produce nuclear power for as little as 1 cent PKWH? So why should we choose coal and the inevitable carbon tariffs that could kill us economically!?

Coal and all the drones it currently supports is not what we need! Nor the debt-laden foreign tax avoiding, profit repatriating investors that seem to come with it.

Moreover, as we continue more and more coal mines are being robotized! So, all this talk about saving coal mining jobs is just more hot air!

We need a new energy paradigm to shake lose the foreign investors who do so little for us, and maybe steal our best ideas and people as they harvest data and profits from finite resources?

It's not all about climate change but, it's the economy stupid! And if the energy paradigm is one that we choose also addresses climate change as well as the national balance sheet!?

Why are so many folk diametrically opposed to the changes we need to get our country and heritage back? As well as turbocharge the economy!?

There were a couple of bugs in MSR thorium, but they have been ironed out. And there's free money to get several built if we are led by folk who are not owned by this or that coal company?

I mean given the outlined benefits, could there be any other credible reason for the, die in a ditch first, opposition? There's nothing to fear here except fear itself And BS shovelled by the shipload from the coal lobby?

Capitalism has served us well and it's what we need going forward, but as cooperative capitalism that keeps our money here making every one dollar do the work of seven!

Moreover, we need real reform of our tax system as I've already outlined elsewhere. To allow the economic sails of the ship we call the economy to get up to full speed!

As opposed to rorts, ripoffs and money sent chasing its tail all the way to this or that tax haven for the benefit of a few quisling investors? It's the economy stupid!
Alan B.

Alan B, seriously, do you ever actually read what the author writes ( takes a lot of effort) or the comments we all write.

Stop ranting and focus on the article and the comments, NOT running off on your favourite views. You must be intelligent and can string sentence together (unlike many who commen....Steel-Rednuts for instance)..

So why not use you intelligence an comment on the topic. Hippo weekend mate.

"Samoan Brianna Fruen, 23, was turned into a climate activist by her school teacher and 350.org when she was 11. She gave a first person account to world leaders at Glasgow’s COP26 about what it feels like when her home and free and easy way of life is threatened by rising sea levels. A 30-second search on a smart phone would have shown that atoll nations are growing in the area. Her teacher and 350.org had fed her lies." (Ian Plimer)

"Climate activism by the IPCC and COP is littered with lies, false claims, fraud and cooked data. Young women like Brianna Fruen and Greta Thunberg are paraded to deliver an emotional fact-free message. The COP26 doomsday scenario for Pacific atoll nations has nothing to do with climate, the environment or the welfare of islanders." (Ian Plimer)

These UN-sponsored Cop gabfests are con jobs used to extract money from Western countries too weak to protect their own economies, freedoms and sovereignty.

What I don't understand is why can't a decommissioned nuclear power station be recommissioned? The 8 gwh of nuclear power in Germany is generating nearly a quarter the energy that the 125 gwh of renewables, and the nuclear power is being delivered evenly and consistently. Decommissioned nukes aren't like Humpty Dumpty are they?

The best thing about COP26 being over is that the whole saga is nowover as well. You see, prior to COP26, myriad media, celebrities (including the future king) and other 'experts' told us that this was the last chance for humans to solve the CO2 crisis. Unless something was done at Glasgow we were all doomed to die [insert you're favoured number] years from next Tuesday week....or something.

So logically, now that the talkfest is over, and it was (did I mention) the last, rooly trooly the last chance to save the planet, there's no point in having any further talks. We had our last chance and its over.
They were all super-cereal (http://youtu.be/BGoEP-IqoDg?t=69) and now manbearpig is gunna get us because we used up our last chance.

So at least we won't have to put up with the Scandinavia kid and all the others whining about how we should just do what they say. It was the last chance - there'll be no more chances.

What's that you say? They've already declared there'll be a COP27 which will be our last chance. Well shiiiit!!

Yes Alan, you are absolutely right, the climate is changing, as it always has.

No Alan you are absolutely wrong, it has nothing to do with the poor much maligned CO2 molecule. If you had enough math, & followed the real science you would see it is not possible for CO2 to do more than a smidgen with outgoing radiation, water vapor beats CO2 to it in spades. Even the IPCC has to invoke very doubtful turning points to get their very doubtful math to work past about 0.8C, no matter how much it increases.

Anyone who can't see these COP26 & previous gatherings are a vehicle for the financial world, & the rest of the elites to gain more control of us peasants, must be looking with eyes shut.

Yes Hasbeen, Alan says he is right, namely climate is changing. Unfortunately the MSR Guru Alan B " declares that its due to CO2.. Its is not and even telling him that if MSR was given the greenlight, he still would admit the the climate change is natural.

That's the problem with Hobby scientists, they think they know things, but when you test their understanding of Hypothesis testing and the scientific method, the resort to slander and mud slinging.. Sad really. Wherever you are have a Hippo weekend mate.

Can't wait to see what " cunning plans" the IPPC and Climate Change Cultist come up with for COP 27 in Egypt, maybe 600+ bizjets, as it warmer there and loads more opportunities for " educational tours ( Bazarrs, museums, opera by the Pyramids!

Yes, AJ and Hasbeen, correct on both counts. When we go into a waning phase the climate cools and the ice advances. As the sun waxes, the joint warms up! But not as it wanes! And we have been in a waning phase since the mid-seventies (NASA)

CO2 supports the greenhouse effect as a super fertilizer. And greens up the planet. As it does so, more water vapour is aspirated from the increased plant growth, it is added to the water vapour in the air. This process is known as the greenhouse effect. Because that is pretty much what occurs in greenhouses. And air with more moisture in it also acts as a thermal blanket retaining heat. So, we do need to rein in some of the greenhouse effect by using a lot less CO2 producing fuels!

One of which coal! Now we could cook coal to release the methane content And pipe it directly into our domiciles then use it to fire up ceramic fuel cells with the exhaust product mostly water vapour. With the remaining carbon buried or used in other carbon-based products While that would be prohibitively costly, It would be a clean coal solution!

Or we could simply phase out all our reliance on fossil fuel and coal exports and use something else that would cost a lot less!

That something else is the most energy-dense material on the planet, thorium! Just 8 grams of thorium, contains enough energy to power your house and car for a century without refuelling.

The estimated cost to mine and refine 8 grams of thorium is just $100,00.0 AUD And that my friends, is just one dollar a year. Industrial power that cheap would not just kick start our manufacturing sector, but turbocharge it!

I get by your comments, you believe that would be a bad thing? As would be the huge range of value-added or manufactured goods and produce we could export for a far greater return currently, than all our energy exports!

It's the economy stupid!
Alan B.

Please, please, Please.... stop trying to convince us that MSR nuclear has value. Nuclear is good... end of story. The fact that MSR still is being tested ( particularly in China) means it has potential... until then lets support "proven nuclear technology"?

Take care mate, your MSR time will come, but don't use climate change cultism as a crutch... the greenies and lefties who RUN that cult will NEVER support MSR. Hippo Weekend Mate.

NASA and markets are not leftwing, global warming has most people and experts in agreement.

Cancel Culture is alive and well on OLO, with some posters not content with expressing their own opinions, but insisting on criticising other people's opinions. Childish. Arrogant. Pointless.

OLO should be about all opinions, not just those who reject the majority view out there that supports the human activity link to global warming.

It must get very frustrating for many on the conservative side whose opinions are very often on the wrong side of history.

CL

*… markets are not leftwing…*

Neither are they right wing.
Markets are skewed towards profit: but profit for whomever at whomevers expense?
Eg manipulated interest rates skewed to promote property sector.
Eg manipulated global warming ideology to promote clean energy sector and promote profits.

Skewing the market is unhealthy and promotes real social inequality, as opposed to the pretence of inequality known as the gay rights movement and its exaggerations.

Dan

I don't dispute that co2 causes warming. What I question is the validity of predictions of what the climate will be like in twenty years. I also question the belief that renewables can replace conventional power generation without greatly increasing the cost. Further, I find the rejection of nuclear power irrational, especially in light of Germany's experience. It might be noted that China's energy plan for the next fifteen years is mostly coal and nuclear based. Solar cells are for the export market.

but markets, driven often by the actions of companies and their shareholders, are not stupid.

They will go where the money and investment will go.

Markets are a fundamental part of democracy and liberalism, so any criticism of the supposed left driving the agenda is likely to have little truth.

The Liberal Party has many voters that want action on climate change, and I doubt they can be dismissed as part of the loony left.

Fester, I agree. There may well be a higher cost, and I am sure life will go on.

These are the issues critics should focus on.

I still want to know the cost with dealing with all these batteries and panels.

Correct Diver Dan. I know so many elitist, " crystal" gulpoing academics who claim to be woke, yet while sitting in their Professorial ( and above) permanent no accountability chairs, yet have spend their time drooling over their " clever" stock portfolios, while paying struggling PhD/Post Docs to do their lecturing and tutoring. My old Profs wouldn't feed them air, let alone acknowledge their claim to be academics.

As For you Chris, you write opinions and have your say, but to claim that everyone of what you deem as " valuable" opinions have got it correct means you like them are just being led like sheep to the slaughter house.

Climate Change cultism lives, but don't expect those with commonsense ( and climate/water cycle/Erath science backgrounds) to join your cult. I have intent of joining you in the Chinese abattoir, which is where you cult is heading in 2050, if not earlier. Then you will understand the meaning of PRC democracy/capitalism.

If I can get the cash, I'll be heading to Mars with Elon Musk!

Correction last sentence in para 3 should read "I have NO intent of joining you in the Chinese abattoir, which is where you cult is heading in 2050, if not earlier. Then you will understand the meaning of PRC democracy/capitalism.

ps at the role was meant to be "Professorial" NOT " Professional" in Para 1.. the joys of spellchecker!!

Anyone who cannot see that the climate has changed and that change has absolutely nothing to do with natural cycles has rocks for brains or air where there should be brains!

Those who claim that renewables are the answer and are cheaper than coal are also talking rubbish. For starters, if we remove all the subsidies the Wiga slave labour used to mine and refine the silica in solar voltaic.

Solar voltaic would lose out to coal on all counts. And windmills only turn to generate productive power for about 15% of the time and need to turn for around thirty years to offset the carbon created in their manufacture.

I wouldn't care to rely on windmills to support a domestic steel or aluminium industry. Given the huge graphite vessels need constant power, as arcing electricity to keep the contents molten.

And if for any reason that power is interrupted. A million dollars worth of refractory grade graphite can be destroyed!

Aluminium could survive given a different smelting requirement

I don't see climate activists supporting renewables but rather huge vested interest!? Why? Because there are far better and far cheaper options that do not need a slave labour input, nor generous subsidise. But could start to earn a quid with the very first stroke of a pen!

The only thing holding MSR back was a couple of bugs (corrosion and tritium) which has since been ironed out.

The rest of the resistance comes, I believe, from vested interest with huge investments in coal and or renewables? And the usual whack jobs!? Who to a man ignore inconvenient truths!

Like what's the explanation for record heatwaves and much faster than predicted ice melts during a waning solar phase, AJ and Hasbeen!? When that shouldn't be occurring during a waning phase!

Are you blind or just terribly intellectually challenged?

Or, have so much money invested in coal that a transition to another cheaper form of reliable energy would virtually ruin you? I believe the latter explanation is the most plausible!
Alan B.

The Chinese have the right idea. Build lots of coal an nuclear power stations, and develop new technology like msr with the intention of replacing the coal furnaces with msr reactors should they become economically viable. By pursuing renewables Australia is heading toward a dysfunctional power grid and economic hardship.

Old nuclear reactors aren't recommissioned due to metal fatigue and because, in conventional reactors, the internal pressure required to keep the coolant liquid has to be a staggering 150 atmospheres!

And the associated pressure-related metal fatigue could result in another Chernobyl where, we believe, escaping superheated steam instantly flashed to a highly explosive mixture of hydrogen and oxygen. And very possible even in a hair-thin crack.

Besides, why conventional when MSR needs only ambient air pressure, or put another way, less pressure than in your tyres!

Just as planes are mass-produced by Boing in a factory, MSR modules can be built in a similar mass-produced setting and what's more, using other folks gifted money!

Moreover, could be rolling off of the factory floor in around 12 months from now, using other folks, gifted millions! Creating very well paid, jobs, jobs, jobs!

And if we don't have all the skills necessary? We can import some guest labour expertise until we do! At which time they can be repatriated!

It's not ever about no can do! But rather huge vested interest in coal and coal exports, neither of which does very much for our domestic economy!

Besides, we could export raw energy to those current coal markets if we choose, using graphene cored, undersea cables. All of which could be financed with other people' gifted money! Given we take their nuclear waste, which in MSR technology is just tons of unspent fuel! And the lowest power prices in the world for a thousand years!

But only if we own and operate ourselves! As government-financed and facilitated energy reticulating co-ops!

No! Why not? Too many bought and paid for pollies perhaps? For the life of me, I can't fathom any other credible reason?
Alan B.

Yes Alan, climate does change, it always has. However no one has ever come up with any proof that CO2 has anything to do with that change, & in fact there is much proof that it can't be responsible.

I have no interest in what process generates our electricity, I simply want the cheapest power possible, & currently that is coal. It was gas in the US for a while, & it may be nuclear if it wasn't strangled by excessive regulations, but currently nothing beats a coal fired plant built on top of a coal mine.

It must still be pretty much the cheapest even after transporting it hundreds of miles by train, & thousands by ship, or the pragmatic Chinese wouldn't be importing so much of it. Don't denigrate one good thing because you favor another, & stop falling for a scam because it favors your choice of power generation.

While you are agreeing, disagreeing with each other, don't forget that, no matter what you believe should or shouldn't happen, the few people who have all the power neither know what you think, nor do they care what you think. I heard the surviving member of the Hitchens duo saying the other day that, after all the years he has been writing, talking and trying to be heard, he is giving up; it's all been a waste of time. That's a very well internationally- known commentator and scholar speaking. There's not much point in anonymous nobodies like us doing anything other than having our personal say and moving on. To me, it's a break from reading and doing crosswords.

" the conservative side whose opinions are very often on the wrong side of history"

But very much more often on the right side of history.... although history doesn't really have a side.

"global warming has most people and experts in agreement."

In agreement? About what? Do they agree that there is warming and that some portion of that is caused by human emissions? Yep.

But that's not the issue. The issue is what, if anything, should be done about it and on that there is no agreement among people, experts or nations.

Okay Alan, so existing nuclear is too problematic and dangerous to fix, whereas on paper msr has had all its technical problems solved and is perfectly safe? Out of interest, Germany's reactors were shut down by decree, not because of any technical failings.

Fester SPOT ON... do you work for the PRC as as a fifth columnist?.. Only joking, but that's the game plan, WE live in the 8th decade of the PRC 100 year grand plan.. only 30 years to go, and based on any strategic plan I have reviewed and assessed.. they on Track +/- 5%.

Alan stop tell us all that nuclear power is essential. WE AGREE, and even MSR can be in the mix.. SO WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO BELEIVE THAT CO2 IS THE DEMON... ITS NOT.. ITS THE ATMOSPHERIC BATHWAY FOR THE CARBON CYCLE... Pretty SMALL MIND YOU!

Its nice and wet here in Sydney, Warragamba is overflowing and even Wyangla is overflowing ( this is a dam in the wrong place with too small a catchment. If it is overflowing, Tim Flannery should be surfing off the spillway as punishment for the nonsense and misdirection he has profited (heavily$$$) from.

Lets do a straw pole, whose dams are full among all those who have commented on this article comment stream??

Indonesia is essentially still a third world economy with substantial coal reserves. And will have MSR thorium before we do! Around Chrismas? Why? Because it's cheaper than coal, cleaner than coal, safer than coal.

And because thorium is both abundant Everybody has some. And it is the most energy-dense material on the planet! Have a look at thorium in five minutes to see how much fossil fuel energy we'd need to replace just five thousand tons of thorium which is enough to power the entire planet for a year!

Australia needs a nuclear industry and nuclear weapons, not solar voltaic that has a Wiga slave labour component and need taxpayer-funded subsidies.

If we are to have a solar industry then why not solar thermal that uses mostly Australian steel mirrors and Australian labour And stores useful heat, for up to a week, in salt banks, in giant thermos vacuum vessels.

And use recyclable, highly polished Australian stainless steel as the huge bank of mirrors as the heat component. And outlays in the build around 2.5 times that of comparable coal-fired power stations.

Thereafter, the comparative cost comes down due to almost nil running costs and free fuel!

Even so, even geothermal and all the discussed alternatives don't even come close to nuclear on build costs. And only solar thermal competes on operational costs, for the stated reasons.

As for recycling? What holds that back is the current prohibitive cost of energy, made more expensive by the number of totally unproductive drones it also has to carry!
Alan B.

Alan B, sop ranting. WE all Know Nuclear power has been abused by the stupid lefties who spent too much time on LSD, weed or whatever... So be positive and read what others write that support your passion for nuclear power.. I.E. align yourself with common-sense and maybe we can all make a difference?