This recent rain is a Godsend. The pastures are less productive after such a dry period. In a good season on the New England you can get about eight tonne of dry matter to the hectare. Now you will get less than half of that until the soil structure improves with more organic matter.
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We have the new year of the political debate framing itself around climate policy. There is really little debate that the climate is changing after a record drought, let's hope the rain is a sign that the weather conditions are abating. The real debate is what is the pertinent way that Australia can have a global mitigating effect?
My view is that countries with hundreds of millions in poverty are going to care very little about our pleadings. China, India, countries in Africa and South America do not care about Australia's domestic climate policy when their social cohesion relies on taking the poorest out of poverty with cheap power.
Our extra contribution to climate programs should be in the development of technology for the highest and cleanest energy return for a unit of coal.
China is building more coal fire power stations in this year alone, than all of Australia's current stock. Australia's position on zero emission nuclear power must change in line with the development of new modular 40 megawatt pebble bed nuclear reactors. These reactors are small, vastly safer and almost to the point of being sold in commercial modular form.
If countries can see themselves saving money and the environment, then they will be vastly more attentive to the economic benefits in their nation.
Wind turbines and solar will play a part but even there we are seeing rising community anger about these with a "not in my backyard" mentality.
In 30 years wind turbines will suffer the same public perception slide that Stalinist-like, multi-storey public housing is perceived with now.
Both were well supported publicly and politically at the time but in the future, they will be seen as a stain on the environmental landscape rather than a benefit. If this was not the case they would be in National Parks and behind popular beaches.
Renewable energy requires batteries and we are yet to build a new pump hydro to store power for when required rather than when produced.
If you remove the Renewable Energy Credits and add the cost of batteries such as pump hydro, the economics of this power source falls dramatically.
The bushfires will be used by all and sundry to promote their particular causes. We must make sure the policy outcomes do not add to the problems.
