Hybrids are efficient in cities with lots of stop/start traffic, especially Sydney, but don’t forget our C02 emission from vehicles is 9% and 47% from power stations (coal). So, I think the rush to Hybrids will be more based on people trying to reduce there weekly fuel bill and only a modest decrease in C02 emissions.

Its interesting that the Government focus on others but not what they could achieve, for example if we removed traffic calming, which has become traffic stressing, and co-ordinated traffic lights ( I am averaging 7 red lights out of 10 in Sydney) we could improve the average speed of travel which would mean all the “existing cars” would use less fuel and produce less C02. Further road management, where the focus is on not stoping vehicles, would improve this. My car gets 7.2 litres per 100kmh on a trip but in Sydney we are getting 14.1 litres per 100kmh, off course the Government would need to spend money on infrastructure.

Also, Hyundai has produced a Hybrid LPG vehicle, which would require $10 to run for 300kmh. Korea has large supplies of LPG and has the distribution retail network just like Australia. We should be pursuing this type of technology:

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/06/10/hyundai-may-build-hybrid-lpg-elantra-in-australia/

Final point, once carbon trading is introduced, we will be competing with countries who do not burden there industries with dirty electricity (coal). eg France (whether you like Nuclear or not, will not have its industries burden by carbon credits like ours will). So we need to sunset our Coal powered Power Stations.

Bernie's going to regret writing "the myth of peak oil". Which bit is the myth Bernie? The 'myth' that most mineral mining follows a bell curve pattern, not just oil? The 'myth' that we mine the easiest resource first, and that the second half of a resource is usually a lot harder to reach and more expensive mining? The 'myth' that discovery of oil peaked in 1965 and has been declining ever since? The 'myth' that we last found as much oil as we burn in 1981? The 'myth' that we now burn it 5 times faster than we find it? The 'myth' that 54 out of 65 oil producing countries have already peaked? The 'myth' that we KNOW all the non-OPEC oil is pretty much at peak or already in decline? The 'myth' that this can be calculated, and that on a number of occasions the 'early peak depletionists' have accurately predicted peak oil in America, the UK North Sea and Mexico's Cantarelle years in advance when big oil were demanding that everything was OK?

The 'myth' that nothing can replace oil at that energy density in those quantities?

Society will get by, but the economic crisis is going to be of unprecedented magnitude and severity, and denying the scientific and geological realities does not help Australia move forward in a rational and informed manner. It's time to get our head out of the sand and stare the end of the oil age in the face.