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The Forum > Article Comments > As Europe fiddles, US may take lead on climate change > Comments

As Europe fiddles, US may take lead on climate change : Comments

By Fred Pearce, published 19/1/2009

Europe’s backpedalling last month on toughening its carbon trading system may have signalled the end of its leadership on climate change.

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I have to agree that the Europeans have been a disappointment on carbon cuts. Worse than that they are hypocrites for having lectured us on their now evidently inadequate wind and solar program. However I think we shouldn't assume that desert based solar with high current connections to wind power will fill that gap. The cost may be exorbitant and still require frequent use of fossil fuels. The end result may be a very unsatisfactory combination of high electricity prices, weak reductions in emissions and draconian demand management such as power rationing.

Evidence for this comes from the 300km underwater Basslink high voltage direct current cable connecting Tasmania to the mainland. In 2006 the Tasmanian grid was powered entirely by hydro and gas fired generation. Now with the HVDC cable 'imported' coal fired electricity accounts for 20% of Tasmania's electricity use and growing.

Instead of waiting for Obama I suggest the Rudd government should front for a $1bn experiment. Invite Ausra back to construct one of their solar thermal plants (somewhere like Broken Hill), add high power connections (DC or AC) and try to integrate the output with existing wind power. If it enables cuts to coal or gas fired generation it will be a success even if the power is a bit more expensive. Option 2; do something, anything as opposed to doing nothing at all.
Posted by Taswegian, Monday, 19 January 2009 9:25:09 AM
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I am surprised that Australians take no interest in environmental protection through reducing waste and 'simple technology' for household use, such as even some developing countries use. Twenty million of us can make a difference.
Our interest in Alternative Technology seems to be focused on what is expensive or complex.
Yet when we have sun, we could have backyard solar-reflector ovens and water-heating - in Melbourne I can even do it on tin trays and with the water hoses. And out in the deserts, even Spain is making power while the sun shines.
We emit amazing amounts of pollution with power mowers still used on tiny lawns that may be mostly dust - when the latest hand mowers are fast, cheap and easier for an eighty-year-old to use than a power mower.
And so on. These are not to be dismissed as 'tiny' matters because they seem small.

OnLineOpinion has published articles about such things (e,g 11.2008. http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=7994, Manufacturing, jobs and low technology) They should not sink like stones, because a big issue today should not be 'any jobs at any cost' and 'shore up the big and obsolete companies' but 'the jobs that are needed, and the new industries that are needed'.
Posted by ozideas, Monday, 19 January 2009 12:38:58 PM
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For some time now it has appeared to me that the only thing holding America back from going green was G W Bush. Now that hurdle is out of the way it could be like the coming of computers; they came from nowhere.
Power suppliers in Australian need to decide if they are in the power business or coal business. The coal may have only a few years left, not because of lack of coal but because the new technologies will make coal worthless. If the power suppliers are in the coal business they are probably already bankrupt.
But we will still have power because I am certain that there are American multinationals ready to step in to fill the void.
Posted by Daviy, Monday, 19 January 2009 4:26:10 PM
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I don't think people realise how unbelievably stupid they look when they blame G.W. for every made up problem they can think of. Europe may just be starting to realise the Greens are modern day scaremongers hiding behind pseudo science. Here Mr Rudd was going to be the great white hope. In America people think that because Obama is black he is god. If only people would grow up a bit.
Posted by runner, Monday, 19 January 2009 5:16:16 PM
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I like the comment that all solar thermal needs is a few tax breaks, access to land at no cost, tax the existing power generators so their costs will increase to that of renewable generators and finaly have someone ie the taxpayer, build the infrastructure to transmit the power to the customers.
These renewable power advocates certainly have front to ask for all this public money.
They certainly have learnt from the bankers in holding out their hands for public largesse.
Posted by Little Brother, Tuesday, 20 January 2009 5:50:13 AM
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What a shame our leaders are such spineless gits with little imagination. Time and time again our engineers/inventors/scientists are responsible for world class progress. Time and time again they get nothing here, and have to go OS or give up.
Why does an innovative company have to leave Australia due to government indifference? We have become a culture of bankers, beholden to authority, but scared witless by talent and change. Most of our "leaders" lead us in nothing: They just play politics with each other.
Why do we tackle climate change using "Carbon Credits"? This is a bankers solution (not even the best one) to an engineering problem. Bankers cannot even run a stable business without bailouts. Earth does not have a bailout option!
(Except the religious nuts assume their sky God will do it for them, hence their support of Bush/Howard and other nitwits.)
The solar technology mentioned in the article could be cost competitive with coal and generate jobs. What a shame the fossil fuel industry has so much corruptive power.
Oh, and before someone says it: Renewables *can* supply baseload power... Just not with 19th century infrastructure. Yes it is time we revised what our grandfathers taxes built for us.
Runner: Compared to the handouts from coal and oil, renewables get stuff all public moneys. For a technology that will give us energy independence from foreign countries, this is good investment.
The sad fact is there is more profit to be made by:<warring for land, drilling, piping, transport, storage, refining, storage, transport, storage, retailing> than there is to made by <construction, maintenance, maintenance....> Efficiency is *not* good for business!
Once you realise that the most of the FUD regarding renewables is just people protecting profits, the "two camps" on this issue makes sense.
Posted by Ozandy, Tuesday, 20 January 2009 12:59:25 PM
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