Australia, climate change and uranium

Peter van Onselen writes in the Australian about the Labor government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme:

The Australian energy sector as it stands is far too dependent on dirty coal. The concept of clean coal technology is exactly that, nothing more than a concept. It is not achievable at the moment and there are no indicators that it will be achievable any time soon (if ever). That, of course, hasn't stopped us pumping millions of dollars into trialling the technology. Research and development spending is crucial, to be sure, but not without tandem investment in proven technology such as nuclear power.

The most internationally proven way to address energy needs in an environmental and sustainable way is to go nuclear. [Kevin] Rudd likes to extol the virtues of the Group of 20 nations, but I can't recall hearing him comment on their overwhelming dependence on nuclear power as a means of carbon pollution reduction. Nineteen of the G20 nations already have nuclear power in their energy mix or are planning the construction of reactors; 15 and four nation-states respectively.

The one non-nuclear member of the G20 is Australia, which just happens to have the world’s largest reserves of uranium and is the third-biggest exporter of the stuff.