The
growing recognition of the climate change problem has led to the understandable,
and justifiable, demonization of fossil fuels. Coal is singled out as the worst
offender. Coal produces more pollutants during combustion than any petroleum
product. Given this rising tide of environmentalism in the Western world, I was
surprised to see a headline referring to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot's
proclamation, "Coal is the future." I was unaware of the precarious Australian
energy situation, and assumed this article to be either satire or misattribution.
Abbot spoke of coal as, "the future of our prosperity." The tone of
Abbot's words suggested an almost complete reliance on coal. Abbot spoke as if
coal was the only thing keeping Australia from regressing into a pre-industrial
nation. The speech took place at the
opening of a Queensland coal mine, so I assumed Mr. Abbot was doing a fair bit
of pandering.
An
admittedly cursory Google search revealed that, in fact, 74% of Australia's
energy comes from coal. This statistic puts Mr. Abbot's words in a new light. Australia
is known for its relatively progressive social policies; therefore, an
uneducated American would assume that these values would translate into a focus
on green energy. This seems to be a case of necessity subordinating ideology.
With no sizable oil reserves, coal is what keeps Australia moving. Efforts are
being made to invest in, and implement, green energy solutions. However, Australia
needs to keep its lights on in the meantime. The growth of the Australian
population in recent decades has cemented coal dependence.
The
people of Australia find themselves in quite a vexing dilemma. They are fully
aware of the unsustainable nature of their primary energy resource. This awareness,
however, does not alleviate their need for an energy supply. The Australian
energy sector is sinking a lot of capital into infrastructure, and "energy
poverty" is a serious national problem. The quest for a renewable fuel
source is secondary to the maintenance of Australian energy security.
Stats
from: http://www.originenergy.com.au/4224/Energy-in-Australia http://www.originenergy.com.au/4224/Energy-in-Australia
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