Hello Peter, long time no see.

I share your general cynicism about politicians' motives, but as a scientist I can't agree that global warming is a "doubtful proposition". See my posts at
http://betternature.wordpress.com/2009/05/07/climate-urgency-and-opportunity/#more-133
and
http://betternature.wordpress.com/2009/03/09/last-call-on-climate/

Few discussions of energy options show any awareness of how wasteful we are at present. We can quickly and cheaply increase energy-use efficiency and reduce greenhouse emissions. See my post at
http://betternature.wordpress.com/2009/03/11/energy-efficiency/
and the McKinsey&Company study, An Australian Cost Curve for Greenhouse Gas Reduction. 2008. Available from: http://www.mckinsey.com/locations/australia%5Fnewzealand/knowledge/.

Viewed from this perspective, nuclear power is unnecessary and anyway is inadequate, dirty, dangerous, expensive and too slow. See
http://betternature.wordpress.com/2009/03/03/nuclear-power-uddeli-unjustified/#more-36

Regards, perhaps I'll see you in Nov.

Hi Geoff - November in Canberra - hopefully.

Here's the main point: As you point out, there are all these dominoes about to tip. Nothing the politicians are planning has a hope of stopping them in time. So we're going to tip. What can we do about it?

Peter

Well, mikk, you've certainly put the "ass" back into "assume".

You assume that everyone who's the slightest bit reluctant to jump aboard the careering Climate Change bandwagon, ETS/CPRS/insert-fashionable-TLA included, is a wicked right winger.

Well, that would be about the first time in my life I've been called a right winger. It's precisely because I'm *not* a right winger that I refuse to jump in bed with the right-wing Rudd government. It's also why I refuse to subscribe to a dogmatic belief system like capital-E Environmentalism.

You also assume that it's some sort of magic revelation that the left-wing French run a safe nuclear energy industry. Well, no sh!t, Sherlock.

Except that in the very same breath, you condemn nuclear power as a "permanent danger".

Holding to a strange concept called "Reason" means taking the stick to liars, snake-oil salesmen and fascist thugs, no matter whether they're wearing brownshirts, business suits or dreadlocks. A pox on Greenpeace as much as Halliburton, I say. Bugger Noam Chomsky and Rush Limbaugh.

Well congrats Mr. McCloy for a well written, informative article. It is so frustrating to think that we could have had a 'green' nuclear power source already up and running if politicians of any persuasion had had the guts to do it.

More power to the French, be they left or right. At least they are going somewhere which is more than you can say for us. Mr. Rudd is intent on being a "world stage spokesperson on CO2 emissions. Bugger the workers and people in general, just go green if you can afford to. Most of us can't do that.

This is just another tax, why don't people wake up? It is not about climate change. He can't up the GST so there has to be another way; "and guess what - ETS!".

Well guess what Mr. Rudd, I have been a federal labour voter all my long life but I cannot agree with the climate change scare mongering or making this country into an overtaxed, under employed backwater. I will change my vote as I have in NSW.

Get water conservation happening, where it will make a difference, instead of bleating about carbon emissions and climate change. It is SOOOOO tiresome.

Do something worthwhile and stay in the country for more than a few months.

Kevin Rudd has definitely backed himself into a corner with the coal as energy issue. Malcolm Turnbull isn't much different though, he was the one who thought of an ETS under the Howard government & that's where the problem lies for him. He can't deny it & Rudd is using it to throw in his political face & Turnbull refuses to back away from it for the Lib's sake of face. I agree with The Author that the other reason for climate discussion is nuclear power & as an Atheist Lennon-ism is a truth in itself.

Clownfish - you claim the rational high ground and yet your entire entry is a tirade against various individuals and groups - no reason evident! Nuclear is not and never will be the answer to climate change. It is not a renewable fuel, it is incredibly vexed politically, slow to build, and is not needed. Why we refuse to embrace renewables when our wind, solar and tidal resources are so large is one of the more curious dysfunctions of current political system...