Getting to Zero: Australia's Energy Transition (Quarterly Essay #81)
-----
Write a review
Nick
Apr 26, 2021Nick rated it liked it
The science is there, the market is there, the infrastructure is (nearly) there - and yet our government's collective lack of spine forces them prostrate before the throne of coal and oil.
Finkel lays out how Australia is well placed (perhaps uniquely so) to take advantage of the renewable energy revolution. Yet Finkel is no revolutionary himself, taking an obstinately pragmatic tone throughout.
And while the focus on hard science and infrastructure concerns led to some dry reading at points, I w ...more
flag7 likes · Like · comment · see review
Yuri Sharon
Mar 26, 2021Yuri Sharon rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Detailed and thorough, but where was the editor when, on p. 19, we have “... the Tasmanian premier, Guy Barnett ...” Really?!
flag4 likes · Like · comment · see review
Ben Robinson
Apr 05, 2021Ben Robinson rated it really liked it
Clear and insightful overview of Australia’s emissions profile and how we can reduce it. Learnt a lot.
I like his ‘technology agnosticism’ when it comes to the how of reducing emissions and whether natural gas should be involved. However, he is overly generous when describing key liberal party figures like Taylor and Frydenberg. He makes them appear supportive of the need to reduce emissions and adopt new technology (such as hydrogen) when the opposite is true. The liberal party have had a cancerous effect on Australia doing anything meaningful about climate change over the last two decades. One would expect someone as evidence based as Finkel to acknowledge this, or at least avoid portraying them positively. (less)
flag3 likes · Like · 1 comment · see review
Jeremy Ray
May 10, 2021Jeremy Ray rated it really liked it
A super solid State of Play on Australia's path towards zero (or near-zero) emissions. This essay lays out the new technologies we should be embracing, lays out what the renewables-based future will look like, and charts a course for how to get there. It also shows how this global crisis is Australia's biggest economic opportunity.
There's nothing of the politics of the situation in here. That'll be a plus to some and a minus to others. We definitely have some political "obstacles," but Finkel didn't want to go into who the friends and foes were/are of Australia's zero-emissions future.
If you're already up-to-date on all the details surrounding Australia's role in battling climate change, you might not learn anything new here, as this is very much an essay to catch everyone up. It was all new to me, and there are very few wasted sentences in Finkel's writing. It's an info-packed 100 pages and I felt like highlighting the whole damn thing. (less)
flag2 likes · Like · comment · see review
Joel D
Apr 13, 2021Joel D rated it liked it
Shelves: finished-2021
Decently written but not particularly compelling. Basically he just explains the practicalities of the technology for a zero-emissions economy. Tone is approachable and conversational which is good I suppose.
The correspondence, responding to Laura Tingle's NZ/Aus essay, is not particularly interesting. There's also one terrible letter going on about how special superannuation is and then I checked and the man writing it is, surprise surprise, from Australian Super. Not sure why he got a platform in the QE to shill for the super industry, but there you go. (less)
flag2 likes · Like · comment · see review
Fridja Ernens
Mar 26, 2021Fridja Ernens rated it really liked it
Shelves: audible
Inspiring read on the Net Zero potential of Australia from a technology point of view. Really enjoyed how clearly he described what needs to happen in different sectors to make Australia prosper and thrive.
I was disappointed however in the lack of policy recommendations that will help enable and accelerate this path to a Net Zero Australia. Finkel clearly sketches how Australia can be a world leader in clean energy, but with current policies we'll be a late adaptor and miss out on many opportuni ...more
flag1 like · Like · comment · see review
Liam Halford
Apr 04, 2021Liam Halford rated it really liked it
Super relevant! And makes you less scared to see that the government feasibly can to do something about climate change.
Both specific and big picture view written by Australia's Chief Scientist. Looking at how practically Australia will manage to transition to zero emissions and how it will impact a range of industries. Everything from "how do you keep the electricity grid stable with renewables?" to "how do we cope with losing our coal export industry?" and "what if I don't have off street parking so charging my car will be a pain?"/"how do we fuel long haul planes?" Etc.
Would recommend. 5 stars for content (less)
flag1 like · Like · comment · see review
Julia
May 30, 2021Julia rated it really liked it
Great. Easy to read for complex ideas, the future is now people. Alan Finkel clarifies the path ahead for net zero energy in Australia and it is POSSIBLE. I just kept clenching my fists thinking whyyyyyy are we not doing this yet. This helped to ease the climate anxiety and see a way up and out.
flag1 like · Like · comment · see review
Nell Cohen
Jul 26, 2021Nell Cohen rated it liked it
Objectively good and important essay but very technical. Was not really in the mood for it at the time of reading.
flag1 like · Like · comment · see review
Alisha Davie
Apr 21, 2021Alisha Davie rated it really liked it
I read this as a follow on from Bill Gates - how to avoid a climate disaster. Great overview and provided the relevant information to Australia's roadmap to net zero emissions (less)
flag1 like · Like · comment · see review
Wide Eyes, Big Ears!
May 12, 2021Wide Eyes, Big Ears! rated it really liked it
Shelves: z-documentary
Australian Chief Scientist, Alan Finkel, lays out the case for tackling climate change and how we can get there. His pragmatic approach embraces a ‘technology agnosticism’, i.e., the aim is to get to zero (low) emissions by whatever means necessary. Abruptly ceasing fossil fuel usage will not help us transition without stuffing the economy. There are loads of facts and figures which are hard to retain, but some of the major points:
1) As we’ve progressively adopted coal, oil, and gas, we’ve kept using the older fuels so that their effect is additive
2) The goal is ‘The Electric Planet’, where most energy usage will be in the form of electricity produced by clean technologies
3) Clean hydrogen is the most promising future fuel and Australia could be a major producer and exporter
4) Developing and transitioning to new clean technologies take time and natural gas is the least worst stepping stone
5) A single vote makes little difference, but many votes cause change. Equally, every person and country has a part to play in the energy transition, it has a cumulative effect. (less)
flagLike · comment · see review
A.M.
May 16, 2021A.M. rated it liked it
Shelves: audiobook, i-own
It's not the author's fault, but I just despair of the Australian Liberal government. The same people that shrill that electric cars will take your ute, refuse to even state which year we aim for net zero carbon emissions, and wave around lumps of coal in parliament; those people have no intention of promoting the sciences and the policies we need to be competitive in the world market for renewable resources.
And it's Australia, you know? The one thing we almost have too much of is sun, and it's only going to get worse. We have the raw resources to make batteries, we should be making them here, filling them via solar power and shipping them offshore. It seems nuts that Singapore wants to build a giant solar farm in Australia to power their country when we are not doing it ourselves.
Finkel seems more focused on Hydrogen as a fuel source but concedes that things will need to be a compromise for a while to come.
3 stars (less)
flagLike · comment · see review
Gavan Huang
Sep 20, 2021Gavan Huang rated it it was amazing
Written by Australia's former Chief Scientist from 2015-2020, this book dictates the work that Australia needs to do to reduce emissions to zero, or almost zero, by 2050. The book provides great insight into why climate change is real and anthropogenic, as well as the current state of the nation's energy consumption and pollution and the methods in which Australia can move to lower emission pragmatically. More importantly, this short book easily communicates scientific and environmental concepts to the general public.
(less)
flagLike · comment · see review
Gavin
Jun 22, 2021Gavin rated it it was ok · review of another edition
Finkel knows the topic, is invested in it’s success and opens quite well with the suggestion for a perfectly reasonable approach to reach zero. Why then does he spend so much time on pie in the sky nonsense like “clean hydrogen”? In the end a disappointing read, which hopefully will draw some pointed rebuttal in the next edition’s correspondence.
flagLike · comment · see review
Jim
Jul 16, 2021Jim rated it liked it
A good review of the technology that’s going to get us there. But technology is the easy part - Dr Finkel doesn’t give us any analysis of the much more complicated social and political factors that are holding up progres. Techno-determinism leaves too much room for politics to shape the transition.
flagLike · comment · see review
Garry Aydon
Sep 16, 2021Garry Aydon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
flagLike · comment · see review
