Utopia, you are standing in it!

Donald Trump’s awful presidency expires at midday on Wednesday [US time] when Air Force One will have deposited him in Florida. He retreats to his Mar-a-Lago resort and Joseph R Biden Junior takes command of the White House.

Trump’s has been an unpleasant presidency, brought about largely by his own bellicosity, vulgarity and occupation of a different universe while being unable or unwilling to accept advice from all but a rapidly dwindling circle of friends and advisers.

From Day One he argued he would be defeated at the next election only by a rigged ballot with fraudulent voting.  This has been a constant from his swearing-in to his departure – and secured the support of at least 60% of Republican voters.

By last Friday, the White House was nearly empty.  This week only the ghosts and a couple of stalwarts remain.

The UN released its global emissions and carbon report last month.  The U.S. is the most successful major country at mitigating its own pollution carbon dioxide (CO2).  So successful according to a Forbes posting written by Ellen Wald titled “The U.N. Says America Is Already Cutting So Much Carbon It Doesn’t Need the Paris Climate Accord”. 

“According to the report,

“The United States of America emits 13 per cent of global GHG emissions.” Comparatively, “China emits more than one-quarter of global GHG emissions.” The U.S. still contributes the most greenhouse gas emissions per capita in the world, but, over the last decade, the country’s GHG emissions have been in decline (0.4 per cent per year). “Greenhouse gas emissions per capita in the U.S. are dropping precipitously while those of China, India and Russia continue to rise. With the world’s most successful economy (over $21 trillion in 2019), it is…

Australia’s self-inflicted renewable energy calamity was as perfectly predictable as it was perfectly avoidable.

Now, amongst the myriad of energy commissars and boffins, it’s a case of avoiding responsibility for the disaster that everybody (save them) saw coming.

For years the likes of Kerry Schott – head of the inaptly named Energy Security Board – have been talking up the inevitable transition to an all wind and sun powered future. However, now, with Australia’s Eastern Grid on the brink of collapse, Schott and her fellow travellers are all crab walking away from the disaster for which they are, in large part, responsible. [Note to Ed: what’s that line about ‘failure being an orphan’?]

The Federal Government’s Large-Scale Renewable Energy Target is the principal source of subsidy for wind and large-scale solar – delivered by way of renewable energy certificates (LGCs) – the cost of which is added to all retail…