Well - in this case John Quiggin is saying much the same thing I do - there are practical alternatives to coal fired power that could be put in place. At the present time, without a tax on carbon, this would result in higher electricity prices - but there are a lot of side benefits.
It certainly doesn't imply the end of the world is coming and cannot be avoided.
As for the Tasmanian geothermal guys - I think they're prospecting for investors, and the press releases are just a way of generating interest in the company. I remain enthusiastic about the possibility of large scale geothermal generation at some point.
I don't have anything to defend The Australian with though...
It's unfortunate I suppose but anti-doomer arguments are easily criticised. Thus;
economic academics - who mostly never saw PO and GW coming and now say it's small beer
conservative newspapers - reassure their readers that physical laws don't matter
geothermal prospectors - looking for electrical connections before they even have electricity to connect
rural lobby - want money or financial breaks
whether they farm the soil or not.
Well - in this case John Quiggin is saying much the same thing I do - there are practical alternatives to coal fired power that could be put in place. At the present time, without a tax on carbon, this would result in higher electricity prices - but there are a lot of side benefits.
It certainly doesn't imply the end of the world is coming and cannot be avoided.
As for the Tasmanian geothermal guys - I think they're prospecting for investors, and the press releases are just a way of generating interest in the company. I remain enthusiastic about the possibility of large scale geothermal generation at some point.
I don't have anything to defend The Australian with though...