Guest essay by Eric Worrall
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, one of Australia’s leading newspapers, aluminium smelters and other heavy industry is just not seeing what their role could be in our renewable energy powered future.
Australia’s climate future to evolve as economy is rebuilt
Just a few months ago there had been growing consensus among scientists, activists, economists and even investors that 2020 would be pivotal in the fight to stave off the worst impacts of climate change.
…
But the Glasgow meeting has been cancelled and politicians are now focused on keeping citizens alive in the face of a more immediate threat.
Rather than lose the momentum that had been growing, scientists and activists groups around the world are focusing on a campaign to ensure that economic stimulus packages being adopted around the world are green.
…
Leading economist and renewable energy expert Ross Garnaut says Australia’s vast capacity to generate wind and solar energy could fuel not only exports but a boom in domestic heavy industry and replace petrol for transport.
“The full emergence of Australia as an energy superpower of the low-carbon world economy would encompass large-scale early-stage processing of Australian iron, aluminium and other minerals,” Professor Garnaut says.
He told the Herald and The Age that Alcoa and Rio Tinto had already signalled they did not see a long-term role for the nation’s three largest aluminium smelters in their portfolios under current electricity supply arrangements due to their high electricity cost and emissions output.
He believes that if such plants made use of Australia’s advantages in low-cost renewable energy, they could expand their output to meet demand during a global revival in aluminium demand.
…
Read more: https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/australia-s-climate-future-to-evolve-as-economy-is-rebuilt-20200517-p54tps.html
Those fools, if only they had a little more faith, and saw past the needs of today to embrace the wonderful opportunity green energy presents to the world’s energy intensive industries.
Low cost renewable energy , classic oxymoron
The only way to rebuild an economy around renewables is the China based model. Start with having no emissions targets,then make sure no subsidies or assistance for renewables, then generate all your electricity from either fossil fuels or nuclear, then supply the idiots in other countries with the equipment and parts for all their useless renewable energy. That’s the only economic way a renewables led recovery can make commercial sense.
Now theres a man with a solid grasp on economics
The Chinese government must be laughing at Australia. We are ‘de-carboning’ our economy while they do the opposite.
They will even sell us the cheap solar panels that will help convince us that what we are doing is in our own interests.
We are the ones with the coal, but they are the ones with the brains.
the article is just part of the Australian media’s seamless pivot from covid back to full-on CO2, now that the lockdown is slowly ending.
following is to be broadcast 8.30pm Monday, 18 May, on taxpayer-funded ABC’s so-called flagship current affairs program, Four Corners.
18 May: ABC: Australia’s most senior former public servants and scientists reveal their anger about climate policy failure
Four Corners / By Michael Brissenden
Now, after the devastating “black summer” fire season, the former heads of the Office of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Department of the Treasury, along with former chief scientists, have decided they can no longer stay silent…
Martin Parkinson, who served as secretary of the Department of Climate Change between 2007 and 2011, described politicians as “incapable of grappling with this”.
“I don’t know how many reports have been put in front of them,” he said.
“No politician … has any grounds for saying, ‘Oh well, we didn’t see it coming’.”
Former chief scientist Professor Penny Sackett, who served between 2008 and 2011, labelled the failures of climate policy akin to watching a train wreck in slow motion.
“Year after year goes by without any strong action and no apparent commitment and determination on the part of governments … it’s beyond disheartening; it’s depressing,” she said.
“I do feel that my time was a failure for the greatest thing that could have come out of that time and did not — which was serious action on climate change.”
Ken Henry, the former Treasury secretary for a decade from 2001, believes politics has overrun the scientific reality of climate change.
It has left him deeply disillusioned.
“I think [it is] more to do with personal ambition and some of the individuals involved taking the opportunity of an ideological chasm to advance their own personal interests,” he said.
“We have failed, no doubt about that. We’ve all failed, I think. I look back on it now and I still feel gutted.
“All these years later … I feel angry about what Australia has lost.”…
Former chief scientist from 2011-2016, Ian Chubb, said the Australian Government needs to do more and should commit to zero net emissions by 2050, as many other developed countries have done…
Professor Chubb laments the lack of progress made on carbon pricing…
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-18/four-corners-climate-change-public-servants-reveal-anger/12235180
30sec trailer only at the moment. full video will be up after the program ends:
VIDEO: ABC TV: Four Corners: Climate Wars: How brutal politics derailed climate policy in Australia
https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/climate-wars/12247494
These people are so ignorant.
The only manmade damage being done to Australia is due to renewable energy. Damage both to ecologically and economically.
If this infrastructure is so successful then why don’t they go it alone?
End all renewable energy subsidies now!
“Virgin” iron and steel are still produced (except in Green-funded laboratories) with coke.
Bit of a search has one lab claiming they can “see” 24/7 production of virgin iron with solar – all that they need are 2,000 to 3,000 mirrors on 70,000 square meters – but they do admit that “conventional” power would be needed as a “supplement.”
Alloy production, maybe. At an enormously greater cost.
some names from the ABC’s “Four Corners” program:
18 May: ABC: Australia’s most senior former public servants and scientists reveal their anger about climate policy failure
Four Corners / By Michael Brissenden
Now, after the devastating “black summer” fire season, the former heads of the Office of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Department of the Treasury, along with former chief scientists, have decided they can no longer stay silent…
Martin Parkinson, who served as secretary of the Department of Climate Change between 2007 and 2011, described politicians as “incapable of grappling with this”.
“I don’t know how many reports have been put in front of them,” he said.
“No politician … has any grounds for saying, ‘Oh well, we didn’t see it coming’.”
Former chief scientist Professor Penny Sackett, who served between 2008 and 2011, labelled the failures of climate policy akin to watching a train wreck in slow motion.
“Year after year goes by without any strong action and no apparent commitment and determination on the part of governments … it’s beyond disheartening; it’s depressing,” she said.
“I do feel that my time was a failure for the greatest thing that could have come out of that time and did not — which was serious action on climate change.”
Ken Henry, the former Treasury secretary for a decade from 2001, believes politics has overrun the scientific reality of climate change.
It has left him deeply disillusioned.
“I think [it is] more to do with personal ambition and some of the individuals involved taking the opportunity of an ideological chasm to advance their own personal interests,” he said.
“We have failed, no doubt about that. We’ve all failed, I think. I look back on it now and I still feel gutted.
“All these years later … I feel angry about what Australia has lost.”…
Former chief scientist from 2011-2016, Ian Chubb, said the Australian Government needs to do more and should commit to zero net emissions by 2050, as many other developed countries have done…
Professor Chubb laments the lack of progress made on carbon pricing…
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-18/four-corners-climate-change-public-servants-reveal-anger/12235180
another example of ABC back on the climate bandwagon:
AUDIO: 10m48s: ABC Saturday Extra: Solving solar
Presenter: Geraldine Doogue
Australia’s uptake of renewable energy sources – rooftop solar, mostly – is already world leading.
We could actually be using 75% renewables within 5 years.
But only if we make some quick, and possibly expensive, changes to how our electricity system operates.
Guest: Audrey Zibelman, CEO and managing director of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AMEO)
https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/saturdayextra/new-energy-mix/12247790
23 Jan 2017: Renew Economy Australia: AEMO hires New York energy reformer as new CEO
by Jonathan Gifford
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has hired Audrey Zibelman, one of the leading players in New York’s ground-breaking “Reforming the Energy Vision” (REV), as its new chief executive.
The appointment of Zibelman (pictured right) follows the death last year of her predecessor Matt Zema, and could signal the biggest ever shift in culture and technology of the AEMO, which is responsible for the operation of Australia’s main grids, but which has been criticised in some quarters for its slow response to renewable energy and other new technologies.
The Reform the Energy Vision plan, launched by New York in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, in which thousands of New York State residents were left without power for weeks, is considered to be the most ground-breaking and progressive in the world…
https://reneweconomy.com.au/aemo-hires-new-york-energy-reformer-as-new-ceo-52577/
“Leading economist and renewable energy expert Ross Garnaut says…”
Ignore anything that this man utters as it is utter nonsense in regards to climate change. All his comments on the economy have been largely wrong. Bear in mind he made millions from mining, mainly gold and coal IIRC, in PNG, so he will not be affected by any economic policy relating to climate change.
I think only Ross Garnaut would have called himself a “Leading economist”. He had his fleeting moments of fame thanks to PM Kevin Rudd and he has been trying to live off the limelight ever since.
We have an 87 mw solar farm near us. All of it’s power goes to Sydney. During the drought we had mostly sunny days, no power problems. The rain has been more reliable since Jan and on those long rainy days have brought blackouts to our area. The mines are not too far away as well as the Liddell Coal Fired Power Station a few hundred kilometers away. In the event of grid instability the power to the the mines and surrounding areas are shut down. It’s likely the mines have generators, but appart for the odd rural property most others do not.
These rural properties, such as ours rely on electricity to power the pumps to utilise our tank water. When we have a blackout, we cannot flush the toilet, wash our hands, fill a glass with water, make a cup of tea or coffee, take a shower, run a bath, wash the clothes or dishes either.
When we signed up for our electricity supply last year we were offered a deal for a certain amount of credit in the event that there should be a blackout. We declined, we figured that would give them an excuse to cut off our supply whenever they needed to. When our power is cut off our water is effectively cut off too.
We have had four blackouts this year.
Australia doesnt make stuff, its just a quarry, a natural gas pump and a farm. Covid may wake some up that a return to pre-globalisation self sufficiency may be desirable, but it seems unlikely. The masses are placid and compliant so the continued sale of the country to China will resume as soon as this all blows over.
Could have been a great country. Shame.
If you were wondering why…
Garnaut’s UNicorn
The real problem is that “green energy” is diffuse not intense so is useless for energy intensive industries.
“Heavy Industry Not Seeing the Advantages of Low Cost Renewable Energy Opportunities”.
Funny, neither can I.
Besides Low Cost Renewable Energy is an oxymoron. Like Military Intelligence, or an honest politician.