Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
Edited by Ross Garnaut, La Trobe University Press, $34.99.
It’s handy to know how Australia can become a leader in a world of zero net emissions.
Renowned economist Ross Garnaut has previously published that Australia – rich in resources for renewable energy and for capturing carbon in the landscape – could become an economic superpower of the post-carbon world. Now, in this book, he turns that idea into a practical plan to reshape our nation.
The Superpower Tranformation could radically convert Australia’s approach to climate change. This quite technical guide to fixing Australia’s climate policy stalemate is steadily stated.
“Success as the Superpower of the low-carbon world economy can make a large contribution to restoring Australia after the stagnation of the Dog Days and the stress of the pandemic recession. It will help to restore productive relations in our Southwest Pacific neighbourhood and lift our standing more broadly in the international community. And it will contribute significantly to humanity’s chances of combating a threat to peace and prosperity.”
Over the past nine years, Australia has consistently acted against its national interest. This convincing book shows how to change that, so that the nation becomes a confident leader of progress towards zero net emissions.
Garnaut outlines new evidence that stronger and earlier action on climate change would be good for jobs and incomes. He looks at the challenges for the new federal government: how Australia can meet the objectives set at the Paris and Glasgow climate conferences – and the growing costs of not doing so. He shows that our national decisions matter greatly for the world.
With expert contributions, The Superpower Transformation covers electricity, hydrogen, steel, exports, carbon capture in the landscape and more. It reveals the rich endowments of five resources that give us the most to gain economically: “The new opportunities are much larger than the old.”
