Energy Policy and Climate Change
survival meets opportunity
people:
Ross Garnaut:
Australia becoming a renewable energy superpower
Book: Superpower
Naomi Klein:
Green New Deal
Book: On Fire
Michael E. Mann:
Propaganda campaign against climate action
Book: Hockey Stick and Climate Wars
Joel Fitzgibbon:
Controversial figure in Australian Labor Party, former energy spokesperson
Speaks about the need to appeal to broad base in order to get any change in energy policy
websites:
Daily articles on the renewable energy transition
Podcasts: EnergyInsiders, SolarInsiders
Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA)
Thinktank reporting on the renewable energy transition
Ross Garnaut's Superpower Vision:
Australia's Risk
As a large coal exporter, Australia stands to lose the most from failing to transition our economy away from fossil fuels.
Being positioned near South East Asia and the Pacific puts Australia at risk of being the near-term destination for millions of climate refugees.
Australia's Opportunity
Australia’s north is has world-leading conditions for solar power generation, and its south is ideal for wind power generation, while still being more than adequate for solar.
With a strong uptake of cheap renewable energy, this gives Australia a platform for creating the greenest and cheapest manufacturing industries.
Hydrogen:
Hydrogen is a key part of Australia’s path towards being a renewable energy superpower. Hydrogen can be made in two ways. The traditional way uses gas and emits carbon dioxide. A newer way uses water and a lot of electricity, but only emits oxygen. This is what is meant by “brown” and “green” hydrogen. “Blue” hydrogen is simply “brown” hydrogen with the carbon emissions captured using carbon capture and storage technologies.
With the world moving towards reducing emissions, this old style of creating hydrogen will be phased out in due course.
Australia has a competitive advantage here if we use our renewable energy resources to create cheapest, greenest energy on Earth. Cheaper energy will translate to cheaper green hydrogen.
green steel:
Most of steel produced today uses thermal (or coking) coal in its production. This process produces carbon dioxide as a bi-product.
Newer processes of steel production called ‘direct reduction’ uses gas (and eventually hydrogen) instead of coking coal, reducing (and eventually eliminating) emissions.
segments to be added:
Potential for:
- electric vehicle and battery manufacturing using lithium and cobalt resources
- green aluminium production using existing workforce and cheap, green energy
- automated manufacturing of various products using cheap, abundant, green energy
- carbon farming and selling offsets on carbon markets throughout the world
- direct export of energy to China through HVDC
- how climate action is being stopped by lobby groups e.g. Minerals Council
- how best to go about fighting climate change considering politics
- potential for Green New Deal-type policies and their feasibility in Australia