<
https://theconversation.com/we-need-to-decarbonise-our-electricity-supply-and-quickly-alan-finkel-shows-how-green-energy-can-be-a-reality-and-bring-economic-benefits-206277>
"
Review: Powering Up: Unleashing the Clean Supply Energy Chain – Alan Finkel
(Black Inc.)
We use energy in everything we do, but few of us understand it properly. Much
of the time this doesn’t matter. We can flick a light switch or turn the
ignition key in a car, knowing the technology will work whether we understand
it or not. Even something as simple as the distinction between alternating
current and direct current is a mystery to most people without a scientific
education.
But thanks to climate change, we can no longer be comfortably ignorant. A
better understanding of energy systems is urgently needed if we are to
transform those systems successfully.
The science of climate change is complex – too complex for any individual to
comprehend completely. It encompasses physics, chemistry, time-series
statistics and computer modelling, among many other issues. But by now, thanks
to the work of communicators like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, most of us understand the basics.
The exception to this general understanding is the shrinking group of
self-described “sceptics”, determined not to understand. Members of this group
pride themselves on “doing their own research”. This catchphrase does not mean
“undertaking years of intensive training in science and research methods, then
applying it to the study of complex problems”, but rather “using Google to find
talking points that confirm my prior beliefs”.
The central findings of climate research can be simply summarised. Over the
course of the 20th century, we used more and more energy, the great majority of
it derived from burning carbon-based fuels – oil, coal and natural (methane)
gas. The result has been a buildup of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases
in the atmosphere, trapping more of the Sun’s heat and radiating less back to
outer space.
This process has already caused the global climate to heat up, with some
disastrous results, such as wildfires and heatwaves. Global heating will
inevitably continue, as will climate-related disasters. If we are to avoid
truly catastrophic damage, we need a rapid transition to carbon-free sources of
energy for electricity, transport and industrial uses."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
