Wizofaus - thank you for the link re. pollution. While one cannot but be aware of and concerned with, the pollution and environmental degradation here, having all the issues laid out in such a concise way indeed makes depressing reading.

However, these issues are not those upon which I would enter into debate. What I was commenting on, and have done in previous posts from time to time, is the misleading way purple prose is often employed to paint a picture that the zenophobic and chauvinistic amongst us leap upon instantly in order to underline the Them and Us agenda which fuels ongoing distrust of the "yellow peril".

Never the less Romany, there is a significant risk of a cold war with
China over resources.
We, Australia, have contracted, very foolishly, very long term
contracts for natural gas or it derivatives.
However Australian oil production is now down to about 55% of our consumption,
which means the run on our foreign exchange with the very high oil price
will force us to switch to gas in a big way.

What will happen if we pull the plug on the big gas contracts with China ?
By that time the effects of oil depletion will becoming a well
recognised event and China may well be desperate for energy.
Just how desperate will China be ? Enough to consider a military
solution to a contract dispute ?