Political ideology v energy reality? Aussies are the losers

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has received affirmation about his “renewables superpower” catchphrase at the Asia Pacific leaders meeting, but he sure won’t get it at home.

This happy APEC groupthink bonanza didn’t register informed engineering opinion that targets for the elimination of fossil fuels have no current validity.

Civilisation depends on fossil fuels until nuclear energy or a parallel, as yet unknown, energy innovation becomes globally available. Pure political ideology was on display at this APEC meeting and must be called out.

Some attendees hope for financial windfalls from this madness in Western countries, but they should bear in mind that we are all bankrupt on the books. Albanese’s euphoria has some company: king of woke, Canada’s Justin Trudeau; Joe Biden, known for many policy failures; and the UK’s Keir Starmer, who is carrying a burden of distrust as Prime Minister – all may be on board with the dogma of renewables, but we Aussies aren’t grinning as we pay ever-increasing bills.

Betty Cockman, Dongara, WA

Even readers who have swallowed whole the climate action imperative should pause to reflect on Nick Cater’s inconvenient truths (“COP this, PM: zero chance of zero emissions”, 18/11).

Despite the billions spent, sacrifice of viable energy infrastructure and despoiled farmland and forest, nothing has been achieved.

As Cater notes, Labor excels at setting targets but has merely created a “honey pot for renewable energy rent-seekers”. And notice how quickly the latter back off when the deal does not stack up for them, as Chris Bowen has found with his green hydrogen and offshore wind farm fantasies. The US might now be coming to its senses, but Australia, along with other Western nations, has traded its energy security and much of its industrial base for dependence on China, the world’s largest emitter.

After stealing a strategic march on the Western world in recent decades, China is now enthusiastic at COP29 about the West funding renewable energy for undeveloped countries, like our Pacific neighbours. A Latin phrase comes to mind here – cui bono, to whom is it a benefit? – when we recall who supplies the bulk of global wind and solar technology.

John Morrissey, Hawthorn, Vic

It is extraordinary that we are expected to give coal a chance to help a disastrous climate situation (“Give coal a chance to rein in energy risks”, 18/11).

Coal and other fossil fuels caused the problem, and replacing them with renewables is the only long-term solution. It beggars belief that there is no challenge to a claim that downsides from global warming are “outweighed by the wealth created”. This could be true if world temperatures had stabilised, and if extreme weather events were going down in number, not up.

There is much criticism of the Albanese government’s energy transition plans, but little discussion of the damage by further carbon emissions from continuing with coal. Donald Trump’s election changes the politics of climate change, but the science remains the same. The planet needs renewables, not coal.

John Hughes, Mentone, Vic

The energy outlook for this year from the International Energy Agency says global liquefied natural gas markets are heading towards an unprecedented supply glut. It also reports the world now invests almost twice as much in clean energy as it does in fossil fuels, albeit with China responsible for a large percentage of that investment. If shareholders are banking on a resurgence of fossil fuels with a Trump administration, they may be waiting a long time for their returns.

Fiona Colin, Malvern East, Vic

You have to hand it to our PM, as he sits side by side with the world’s greatest polluters and carbon emitters, and spruiks how Australia will cut its minuscule emissions and lead the world in renewable energy, with hardware all sourced from China, the greatest polluter of them all.

The hypocrisy isn’t lost on anyone, nor is the eye-watering cost to Australians as he attempts to purchase his impossible dream. Our abundant energy reserves should see us with the cheapest multi-source energy on the planet. So, it would be beneficial if the PM could explain just what is a “renewable energy superpower”.

Tom Moylan, Dudley Park, WA