🚀 go-pugleaf

"Stan Pierce" <tpierce@bigpond.net.au> wrote in message
news:Z1%ed.38052$5O5.30796@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
>
> I think the point has come for a seige attitude towards water and energy.
> Not just research in Uni departments.  Treat the problem as as a war
> effort... in other words DO IT NOW.
> Get big industry  to see that *they* will benefit by the expansion of
> projects.  Just make it all Home Grown...all Australian effort.
>  Even let big business draw up projects that will financially benefit them
> and give guarantees of price and finishing time.  Then give them tax
breaks
> of several years to get started.  This would give a psychological boost in
> society like Hitler created.  The whole world would be watching and that
> alone would give the edge to succeed.
> It all has to start in the mind.
> Energy and water are the NEXT BIG THING.   Australians  could make the
world
> sit up and gawp if they set their minds to it.
>

Aus politics is too fickle for large investments like this from private
industry. Have a look at the trouble in the Timor Gap where the on-going
indecision on borders led to Shell (BP?) applying an ultimatum to the 2
governments to get a formal resolution of the boundary or they'll just walk
away. How many companies would invest in big long term Water/Energy projects
in Aus where the next government might not be as amiable to the original
proposition. The short answer is none.

Also, the supply of more water and energy is very easy to accommodate. You
build more dams (or piping) and more power stations. Private Industry would
take this option at any point as it is proven technology with known or
projectable returns. This is sound and fundamental business sense. Given the
political climate what is required is smarter and more innovative water
collection/usage and power generation/usage.

The US lead in microelectronics over the USSR came about because one tried
to minimise the resources consumed in placing things into orbit and the
other just added more fuel/rockets to their process. We need a similar
creative approach to Water/Energy futures and a government sponsored
approach may be better here in Aus; there just aren't any mega rich Paul
Allen type Aussies to speculate on the research.

RJ.