2021-03-06:  There’s a lot riding on predictions of the future, when it comes to climate. In Australia for instance, the future of coal is mostly a debate about whether its demise is fast, or slow. For the country’s gas-fired power generation, the debate is slightly more complicated.

The government, for instance, believes that Australia ought to be building new gas-fired power stations, in order to buttress grid reliability and “affordability”. In all their marketing, gas is being tied to alternate energy, a disturbing trend that may soon manifest itself in other countries.