As the government seeks to rein in the excessive expectations of what it can do to make housing more affordable, Malcolm Turnbull is throwing everything at his energy security policy.
Malcolm Turnbull has threatened to use the Commonwealth’s power over exports against gas producers if they do not carry through with undertakings to make more gas available for the domestic market.
Rising gas prices and energy security issues have led to calls for more gas to be pumped into our energy system. But we need to balance that with the equally pressing need to limit greenhouse emissions.
We have the technology to make oil from algae, rather than digging up crude oil from organisms that lived billions of years ago. But bringing it to market will take a force of economic and political will.
Is nuclear power worth it? No, says Mark Diesendorf – it’s never been a major world energy force, it has caused huge accidents, and its greenhouse emissions are higher than many people realise.
Asia and Eastern Europe are leading the way, but construction times for new projects are getting longer, and Europe’s dominant energy player, Germany, is turning its back on nuclear.
Through history, nuclear power has gone hand in hand with the nuclear arms race. But does it have to be this way? Closer international cooperation can help nations embrace nuclear power peacefully.
James Whitmore, The Conversation and Michael Hopkin, The Conversation
The federal government’s keenly awaited Energy White Paper is firmly focused on cutting prices and red tape, and boosting industry competitiveness - and less so on climate change and renewable energy.
Gary Ellem, University of Newcastle; Damien Giurco, University of Technology Sydney; James Ward, University of South Australia, and Steve Mohr, University of Technology Sydney
Australia likely has decades of fossil fuels left to extract, export and burn. That could prove to be a problem if the world comes to an agreement on climate change. Here’s four ways to help the economy, and the climate.