[Karls48 (Karl)]

In my opinion the energy crisis is by far more urgent issue then whole global warming craze (and also partial solution to global warming if its cause is human activity). As the price of crude climbs to and over $250 a barrel economical chaos will start spreading around the world. It will take some time for the markets to realise this because markets today are dictated by the super funds with worldwide combine strength worth of trillions of dollars. Those super funds do not give hoot (and it is not their charter) about economical viability of any sector of world economy. They simply shift their funds to the area of economy where they can make maximum profit for their investment. The inertia of those huge amounts of money will carry the worsening economy for few years. Eventually your super will be worthless in real therms. As it has been pointed out by other people, the governments of any domination are not going to address this looming problem until it will right upon us. Their main concern is how to win next election. This is a bad side of the democracy. The pressure political groups like Greenies do not offer viable solution to those problems because their alternative policies are dictated by the ideology instead of sound economic.[/font]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Australia is an indeed lucky country with its huge mineral resources, ability to produce enough food to sustain its small population and its stable political system. Present population is easy to mange by country governments as its temper is not volatile, not prone to rioting or revolutions (that may change with influx of the migrans with lesser tolerance to the unjust government policies). Australia got vast coal reserve able to provide all Australia’s energy needs for maybe next 200 to 300 years. Coal can be processed to petrol with technologies dating back to the Second World War. So far it looks like we got it made. But do we?
As the economic crisis spread around the world with its associated hunger and misery one or the other government with reach for age old solution - blame neighbouring country that may be doing marginally better, for all of your problems. And if that country embraces different religion – even better. One country invades other one, other countries will declare war because of defence treaties or simply because they feel threaten by imbalance of power. And before you blink there is Third World War. The casuality’s will run to the billions of people. In the way it will provide solution to the economical crisis for next hundred years or so. But at what costs?
Many of you will say that I’m totally wrong and I sincerely hope that I’m. Not for my own sake because by the time this scenario may happen I will be long time six foot under. But for shake of my kid. If in the year 2050 someone still alive will remember this tread, send me an email and tell me - you were so wrong you doomsday prophet. And I will lie in my grave contend and happy that mankind and my son got a future to look up to.