"Howard though, has imo made a valid decision to keep our coal usage and sales alive. Surely this is far better than knee jerk reactions that would have a negative impact on the country as a whole."
Nobody disagrees that suddenly stopping fossil fuel usage and exports would damage the economy and cause great social harm.
What we *DO* disagree on is what should happen next:
(A) Chuck a few token measures at Global Warming to kid voters that something positive is being done while giving a nod and wink to carbon salesmen that it's business as usual, or
(B) Begin a massive transformation of the Australian economy from its primitive Global Warming status to a hum-dinger of a non-fossil-reliant NEW economy but only shut down fossil- based industries as non-fossil jobs come on stream.
My big worry is more rational nations will steal a march on Australia (they are already poaching our brightest non-fossil brains and non-fossil technologies) to use them as weapons of mass economic destruction against us in the new war on primitive economies that doze in the sun while others build highly intelligent massive solar industries:
