"Australian attempts to convert to renewables basically have no parallel. To make matters worse, not only do policy-makers want to shift to all renewables they want to throw away the fossil fuel back-up power sources. This has not happened anywhere and is madness." In order to avoid a climate crisis, which never seems to arrive, activists and state governments are about to plunge us all into a very real power crisis. In ten years don't bother to try turning on the lights. Mark Lawson, journalist and author www.clearvadersname.com The whole emissions debate involves spending billions and imposing more billions in costs on the economy for no gain of any kind. Even if we assume that Australia's emissions reduction effort is matched by other countries, which plainly isn't happening, it is all but impossible to construct a cost-benefit analysis to justify the billions being spent. Yet almost all commentators seem to have lost sight of that basic point, in favour of cheering on all emissions reduction efforts irrespective of the costs. After all, their jobs remain secure. A valuable addition to the short list of books that can be recommended to Australian voters. This book should be in every library. - Rafe Champion, Energy Realists of Australia
Mark Gerard Lawson is an English journalist and author. Specialising in culture and the arts, he is known for his column in The Guardian, and for presenting the flagship BBC Radio 4 arts programme Front Row (1998-2014), and BBC Four's Mark Lawson talks to... series.