Reducing pollution and protecting the environment is something everyone can get behind, however this obsession over a trace gas that is essential for life on Earth, and the environmental destruction happening in order to 'save' the planet is the greatest scam that has ever been pulled.

Belgarion wrote on Jun 14^th, 2024 at 10:16am:


That's not what the AGW science says.

And around the globe, people are becoming more and more concerned  with the increaing fires, tornadoes, droughts, floods and record heatwave temps predicted by the science. 

thegreatdivide wrote on Jun 15^th, 2024 at 1:33pm:


Are there more extreme weather events occurring? There does not seem to be the case. I recall -- and yes I am doing another personal anecdote -- riding home from school and having a near even odds of getting hit by an afternoon thunderstorm. These days, 30 years later, you get the occasional afternoon storm that breaks the monotony.

Droughts are usually no longer than 2 months. And extended droughts are just underwhelming rainfall totals for 6 months of the year. Floods seem to be every 3 years, which is not as often as it was in the 1980s and 1990s. I have not had a heatwave for a few years. I think there were a few weeks when we had daytime temperatures between 35 to 40°C, during a summer a few years back.

People might be falling for the climate science. But, when those scientists get it wrong and the weather events are either mild or more severe than predicted, we can safely assume that we cannot control the weather. I suspect that you are one of those that watches repeats of news reports and counts up the number of times they repeat the same scenes.  Then you consider that these are the number of times this weather event has occurred. You are being misled.

whiteknight wrote on Jun 9^th, 2024 at 10:35am:



Unachievable is the operative word.

freediver wrote on Jun 14^th, 2024 at 6:08am:

Australia’s most powerful group of solar and wind farm developers say Anthony Albanese will fail to hit his target of 82 per cent renewables by 2030, as slow planning and onerous environmental approvals are stymieing efforts to build enough green energy this decade.

In a blistering declaration, the Clean Energy Investor Group – which represents companies such as Andrew Forrest’s Squadron ­Energy, Macquarie and French giant TotalEnergy – hit out at new federal guidelines for project ­approvals it warns would torpedo the Albanese government’s signature renewable target.

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has issued a guidelines paper outlining a raft of measures required to get environmental sign-off on dozens of ­proposed wind farm projects, ­including a specific focus on their impact on “protected matters” such as birds and bats.

The Australian Energy Market Operator estimates the country needs 57GW of grid-scale solar and wind generation capacity to be installed by 2030 – a rise from the current capacity of 19GW. But planning remains so problematic that many wind farms take more than five years to secure planning and environmental approvals.

The investor group alone collectively has a 46GW pipeline of renewable projects to be rolled out in Australia but urged the government to rethink how it assessed wind farm developments or risk the target of 82 per cent by 2030 along with emissions goals.

The warning encapsulates Labor’s struggle to reconcile its renewable energy target with existing environmental standards. The tension has created unusual bedfellows, combining environmentalists with opponents to ­renewable energy in an attempt to block new wind farms.

Mr Zelcer said the government must, however, be forthright and frank. “The (Clean Energy Investment Group) advises that (the ­department) clearly communicate, through policy and decision-making criteria, that it is accepted that clean-energy projects will have some impacts in light of broader policy objectives,” he said.

Doing so, however, would be contentious. Many of Australia’s proposed wind farms are in environmentally sensitive regions, but if the country has any hope of rapidly weaning from coal to renewables it must embrace large-scale new developments.

A growing number of ­communities is heightening opposition to new developments and some states are moving to placate their concerns with higher standards.

Last year Queensland’s Labor government said it would require developers of wind farms to clear a higher threshold in order to ­secure licences amid local opposition, despite the sunshine state setting an ambitious target for transitioning away from its dependency on coal.

Queensland said it would strengthen environmental protections, increase rehabilitation requirements and require proponents to investigate the impact of their construction on workforces and accommodation.

While placating community concerns, any curtailing of onshore wind developments will further jeopardise federal Labor’s energy transition targets.

Authorities have admitted there must be an urgent uptick in renewable energy generation ­development if 2030 targets are to be met and enough new capacity is in place to allow for the orderly exit of coal.

Coal is the dominant source of Australia’s electricity, producing about 60 per cent of the nation’s power. But the traditional bedrock is rapidly waning and nearly all coal power stations are expected to close within 15 years, amid sustained economic and social pressure. Australia’s record proliferation of rooftop solar generation means wholesale electricity prices are often below zero, meaning coal power stations – which typically generate consistently throughout the day – are losing money. Coal can recoup losses in the evening when the sun has set and demand increases, but the rise of batteries has dented the capacity of traditional generators to remain profitable.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/renewable-energy-target-at-risk...

Meanwhile Twiggy's green scheme is still losing executives at a fast rate.

lee wrote on Jun 15^th, 2024 at 3:00pm:


The coalition was lying about their commitments. I could guarantee you that it would be achieved, but that guarantee would only be worth as much as a coalition election promise.

The targets would have been easy to achieve when they were first made, but they are getting harder each year, hence the coalitions absurd little "nuclear in 5 years" plan.

Do you ever get concerned that the coalition might keep their promises, or are you quietly confident they have been lying the whole time?

freediver wrote on Jun 16^th, 2024 at 8:44am:



What a load of codswallop. Renewables and huge battery backup can never replace reliable electricity supply. With the removal of gas etc houses will have to be all electric. EV's have by their very definition have to be electric. And yet the CSIRO says that electricity usage has not and will not increase.

Never heard of solar and wind drought?

"An example of when high amounts of storage would be needed include when there are wind or solar ‘droughts’. In South Australia across the financial years of 2015 and 2016, there was a deficit between average wind production and minimum wind production over a two-week period of 60GWh."

https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/snowy-20/faqs/

And that's only going back 8 years. It doesn't claim to be the longest. So you need something in excess of 2 weeks storage.

Australia's usage is 1,6000,000 GWh. 2 weeks of average use is in excess of 615,000GWh. Hornsdale 100MW (and a claimed 130MWh) battery cost $90 million. I will let you do the maths.

"We therefore systematically analyse the relationship between compound solar radiation and wind speed droughts with weather systems and climate modes of variability over multiple time scales. We find that compound solar and wind droughts occur most frequently in winter, affecting at least five significant energy-producing regions simultaneously on 10% of days. The associated weather systems vary by season and by drought type, although widespread cloud cover and anticyclonic circulation patterns are common features."

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41612-023-00507-y

Ah winter when electricity usage increases. So much for averages.