A couple of pieces the Pope should read in today’s Australian. Andrew Smith of Shell notes: “…we must remember that no nation has prospered or progressed by demonising, or stopping its citizens accessing, the most cost-efficient forms of ¬energy. Rather, we must factor into our choices the carbon impact of the energy we use. … Economic sustainability can be delivered only by creating the right balance and encouraging consumer choice, which in turn will deliver politically sustainable outcomes. All participants in our national energy debate should remember that moves to remove consumer choice or value will ultimately fail and in the process hamper Australia’s prosperity, putting at risk jobs for our children.
[My letter to The Australian on this: “Andrew Smith’s article is timely and excellent, except for one thing. I disagree with Smith’s assertion that no reasonable voice would suggest that as a society we should ignore sustainability. The nature of existence is constant change: nothing is sustainable. We need a mindset attuned to responding positively to our ever-changing world, not one which assumes that we should be constrained by existing parameters.”]
Brett Hogan of the IPA writes: “It is clearly just as important to people in India and the developing world as it is to people in Australia that their electricity system is reliable and affordable. Yet while the Indian government is pursuing policies to provide a higher standard of living for its people, Australian coal activists want to deny them that choice. The morality of seeking to deny people in other countries the privileges that we enjoy here, when we have to ability to help out, is deeply suspect.
“While solar and wind power may very well have a place in future world energy supply, not even the most earnest activist can change the laws of physics and force solar power to work at night or in cloudy weather, wind power to work in calm conditions, or hydro-electric power to work in times of drought or in areas without large rivers or mountains. Increasing the supply of Australian coal to India would permanently improve the lives of millions of people — a goal worthy of strong public and policymaker support.”
Faustino
