"Much as in the United States, leaders at the federal level in Australia are trying every trick in the book to prop up coal and other fossil fuels when it comes to energy generation but the individual states are having none of those wrong headed policies. Ultimately it comes down to simple economics. Renewables simply cost less than conventional generating methods. No amount of ideological blathering can offset that. "
People on both political sides of the "coal and other fossil fuels" argument like to muddy the waters and confuse the issues for the promotion of their own agendas to the average 'mug punters' out there in voter-land.
The reality is that Australia's own burning of its fossil fuels locally for power generation purposes only adds a bit over 1% to the total annual global CO2 emissions, but, and it's a ..BIG.. but, we are also the world's largest exporter of coal to other countries who all also happily burn it and thus add very significantly to the remaining 99% of the global CO2 emissions pie.
Politicians (well at least the good ones) are above all pragmatists and make decisions based upon what is (currently) politically 'possible' and that is why, when it "Ultimately it comes down to (the) simple economics" perspective they (at least at a Federal level) are living in terror at the prospect of Australia no longer being able to maintain export levels of all of its large and varied fossil fuels reserves because of the huge foreign exports income earnings they provide to us as a nation, a nation by the way of just 25 million people, all of whom, just by the way again, fully 'expect' that they are ..'entitled'.. to each have a first world standard of living.
In the absence of those fossil fuel exports our (Federal) politicians full-well understand that we will rapidly be economically screwed for earning equivalent levels of replacement foreign income thanks to our decreasing national productivity in the face of steadily increasing globalization, which means, that as a nation, we basically have nothing else left available to offer in the form of (price competitive) exportable sale-able goods that the rest of the world desperately wants to buy, and that, is the real reason our politicians are all currently sheet-scared of the world losing its current love affair with all of our fossil fuels.
No wonder 'Economics' is termed, "The Dismal Science".
Makes me proud as a GXY owner though, to think that our own little company is doing its own valiant best to boost our nations foreign exports income earnings.
GXY Price at posting:
$2.12 Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held