Mark Diesendorf

UNSW Sydney | UNSW · School of Humanities & Languages

Non-technical summary Neoclassical economics (NCE) theory and neoliberal economics practice together form one of the principal driving forces of environmental destruction and social injustice. We critically examine ten key hypotheses that form the foundations of NCE, and four other claims. Each fails to satisfy one or more of the basic requirements...

Civilisation is facing existential threats – environmental destruction, increasing social inequality and nuclear war. It is necessary, but no longer sufficient, for community organisations to campaign on specific issues. They must also form alliances to address the driving forces of these threats, namely, capture of nation-states and international...

Presentation "The Energy Transition: Overcoming the Non-Technical Barriers". Despite its rapid growth, renewable energy is chasing a retreating target, the continuing growth in energy consumption, much of which is still fossil fuelled. If this consumption growth continues at the pre-pandemic rate, it will be impossible for renewables to replace all...

The Sustainable Civilisation proposed in this book is based on the concept of ecologically sustainable, socially just development. This chapter explains these contestable concepts and how to define them to mean genuine sustainability instead of a cloak for business as usual. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) suggest a broad p...

Chapters 4 and 5 show that the unsustainability of our energy system and our over-use of other natural resources cannot be solved by purely technological changes confined within those fields. While these changes are essential, we must also come to grips with the drivers of environmental destruction and social injustice. Large corporations and other...

Governments are quick to act in self-interest and slow to act in response to reasoned argument in the public interest, unless it is supported by a large number of citizens who could possibly remove that government from office. Hence, the task of driving progressive social change falls on the shoulders of community-based non-government organisations...

We are using nature’s renewable resources—soils, freshwater, forests, biodiversity—at a much higher rate than nature can regenerate them. And we are rapidly using up nature’s non-renewable resources—including elements vital for all life, such as phosphorus, and others essential for the technological transition, such as copper. If human civilisation...

The key technical tasks in transitioning to an ecologically sustainable energy system are to convert all electricity generation to renewables, to electrify transportation and combustion heating, and to greatly increase the efficiency of energy use. Scores of scenarios, backed up by simulation modelling, together with practical experience in several...

State capture of individual countries by vested interests has been supplemented by a system of global economic capture, which enables the exploitation of both the natural environment and the majority of the world’s population. In this context, the dominant neoclassical economics theory does not stand up to scientific examination. It is a pseudo-sci...

This chapter draws together the threads followed in the book and assesses concisely the prospects of making the transition to the Sustainable Civilisation. There is still hope, although time is running out. Nevertheless, the seeds of the movement for democratic decision-making through enhanced community participation are already sprouting.KeywordsS...

Forces of environmental destruction are driving the Earth System beyond the safe planetary boundaries to such an extent that they are destroying our life support system, the biosphere. Our climate, soils, forests, freshwater, biodiversity and essential minerals are all threatened. Meanwhile, social injustice and inequality are splitting our societi...

Nuclear fusion is widely promoted as the ultimate environmentally friendly solution to the world’s energy demands. However, the medium/long-term nuclear weapons proliferation risks from a hypothetical fusion economy are rarely considered. Using risk assessment tools, this paper undertakes a trial scoping of proliferation hazards arising from fusion...

The rapid growth of renewable electricity generation in Australia raises the prospect of substituting for all fossil fuel use, including their use in transport and heating, by 2050 or even 2040. This article uses simple scenarios to identify the combinations of trends in total final energy consumption and renewable energy generation that together c...

If global energy consumption returns to its pre-pandemic growth rate, it will be almost impossible to transition to a zero-emission or net-zero-emission energy system by 2050 in the absence of large-scale CO2 removal. Since relying on unproven technologies for CO2 removal is speculative and risky, this paper considers an energy descent scenario for...

This paper investigates the effectiveness of different energy scenarios for achieving early reductions in global energy-related CO2 emissions on trajectories to zero or near-zero emissions by 2050. To keep global heating below 1.5°C without overshoot by 2050, global CO2 emissions must decline by about half by 2030. To achieve rapid, early emission...

A recent article by Floyd et al. argues a case for energy descent by critiquing renewable energy scenario modelling and arguing there is uncertainty as to whether a transition from fossil fuels entirely to renewable energy is possible. This paper addresses the part of their case that’s within the framework of normal science. In it, Floyd et al. unc...

The ‘review’ by Seibert and Rees [...]

Ecologically sustainable energy technologies comprise renewable energy supply together with improved efficiency of energy conversion and use. Together they can mitigate the climate crisis, greatly reduce pollution of air, water and land, create more jobs than are lost in the fossil fuel industries they replace, and contribute to energy independence...

In large-scale electricity systems in many parts of the world, the levelized cost of energy generated by wind and solar photovoltaic farms is now cheaper than from new fossil fuelled and nuclear power stations and is still falling. Therefore, in many regions with low conventional hydro resources, wind and solar photovoltaics can economically provid...

How to save energy in the home and hence to save money

Non-technical summary A small benefit of the disastrous COVID-19 pandemic has been the temporary reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, this paper asks: what strategies can return people to work without returning to the old high-emissions economy? How can we modify the old economic system to reduce environmental impacts while rebuilding...

Recent papers argue that the energy return on energy invested (EROI) for renewable electricity technologies and systems may be so low that the transition from fossil fuelled to renewable electricity may displace investment in other important economic sectors. For the case of large-scale electricity supply, we draw upon insights from Net Energy Anal...

It is now technically and economically feasible to transition to homes, precincts, businesses, industries and transport systems that are Zero Net Carbon. This transition is already under way. For transitioning particular sites, facilities and regions, it’s recommended to consider first what energy services are really needed and then provide them by...

Australia has one of the highest per capita emissions of greenhouse gases in the world. If Australia is to stay within its share of the remaining, diminishing, global carbon budget for stabilising Earth’s temperature increase at 2°C or less, a necessary (but not sufficient) requirement is to transition its electricity system rapidly to 100% renewab...

As renewable electricity continues to grow rapidly, the proponents of coal power in federal government and the media are claiming that our electricity system needs 'dispatchable, baseload' power stations, code for 'coal-fired power stations'.

A critique of arguments by Smil and others that the transition must be slow.

The rapid growth of renewable energy (RE) is disrupting and transforming the global energy system, especially the electricity industry. As a result, supporters of the politically powerful incumbent industries and others are critiquing the feasibility of large-scale electricity generating systems based predominantly on RE. Part of this opposition is...

We report on the carbon footprint of 22 scenario pathways for the transition of the Australian electricity sector to predominantly renewable energy (RE). The analysis employs a dynamic and discrete numerical model that takes into account what we have termed renewable energy ‘breeding’, i.e. RE technologies are being made increasingly with renewable...

This paper clarifies and extends our critical exploration of the use of war mobilisation as a policy model for rapid climate mitigation through accelerated energy transition. Our study, which appeared in this journal, presented a contingency scenario that focuses on the design of innovative policy model for mobilising finance, labour, and instituti...

This paper investigates the development of, and changes in, the field of community renewable energy in Denmark since it commenced in the late 1970s. The focus is on community wind projects. We use an organisational and institutional theory perspective following Fligstein and McAdam's concept of strategic action fields. Within this framework we expl...

We present a discrete numerical computational approach for modelling the CO2 eq emissions when transitioning from existing legacy electricity production technologies based on fossil fuels, to new and potentially sustainable alternatives based on renewable energy. This approach addresses the dynamic nature of the transition, where the degree of tran...

Australia has one of the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions of industrialised countries, resulting mainly from its high dependence upon coal for electricity generation. To explore technological options for the transition to a renewable energy future, we have developed computer simulations for 100 % renewable generation to meet hour-by-hour...

This chapter outlines policies for transitioning to an ecologically sustainable energy system that's technically feasible, affordable, safe and job-creating.

This paper provides a theoretical framework, based on New Institutional Economics (NIE) concepts, to guide the development of community microgrids. Given limited application thus far of such energy systems, this paper also draws on empirical studies and experiences from the planning and development of other public/community infrastructure and utili...

The South Australian Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission has undertaken ‘an independent and comprehensive investigation into the potential for increasing South Australia’s participation in the nuclear fuel cycle’. In its Final Report, issued 6 May 2016, it acknowledges that nuclear power would not be commercially viable in South Australia in the fo...

Despite unsupportive political conditions for renewable energy (RE) in Australia, a new movement is emerging. About 70 Australian community groups have started to embrace the concept of community renewable energy (CRE) and develop their own projects. However, faced with a complex institutional environment and the absence of national government supp...

The study quantifies the benefits of expanding electric cooking in the residential sector in terms of kerosene and fuel wood saved from the perspective of long term optimal energy system development of Bhutan. It also investigates the reductions in the emissions of CO2 and the indoor pollutants, SO2 and NOx due to fuel switching in the cooking endu...

Keeping fossil fuels in the ground and accelerating a just transition to a sustainable energy system remain essential in addressing the climate challenge. Despite the common aspirational goals agreed upon by nearly 200 countries at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, it is clear that climate activism still needs to be strengthened. Using insights fr...

Matching base-load power stations to base-load demand is useful in electricity supply based predominantly on coal or nuclear power. To meet the peaks in demand and to help fill the gap in supply when a base-load power station breaks down unexpectedly, peak-load power stations are used. Two types of peak-load power station are gas turbines and hydro...

This paper paper examines both the criteria chosen subjectively by Brook and Bradshaw (2015) to compare the energy scenarios and the validity of the scores they assigned to the criteria they considered. It finds that they used the concept of “dispatchability” of individual power stations incorrectly as a relevant criterion for reliability of electr...

Despite considerable mitigation efforts, global emissions from the electricity sector continued to grow in recent years. In Australia, the electricity sector is the largest CO2-emitting industry, contributing 35% of the country's total greenhouse gas emissions. The Australian government targets an 80% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 r...

Energy cropping based around woody native plants has attracted attention as a future land use option for rural Australia, with mallee eucalypts a particular focus. Potential benefits could include income for landholders, climate change mitigation and adaptation, enhanced energy security and revegetation of degraded or vulnerable land. However, the...

Background: Since many governments lack the motivation to lead deep emission reduction initiatives, the climate action movement must strengthen its campaigns. Method and results: This paper offers strategies for the movement derived from historical analysis of mechanisms that achieved effective social change in the past. Common elements of climate...

Policy makers face difficult choices in planning to decarbonise their electricity industries in the face of significant technology and economic uncertainties. To this end we compare the projected costs in 2030 of one medium-carbon and two low-carbon fossil fuel scenarios for the Australian National Electricity Market (NEM) against the costs of a pr...

The current global crises in the economic and financial system, climate change, other global environmental issues, peak oil and growing social inequity, indicate the need for radical changes in the economic system, in order to set it on the path towards ecologically sustainability and greater social justice. These changes would seek to create prosp...

Least cost options are presented for supplying the Australian National Electricity Market (NEM) with 100% renewable electricity using wind, photovoltaics, concentrating solar thermal (CST) with storage, hydroelectricity and biofuelled gas turbines. We use a genetic algorithm and an existing simulation tool to identify the lowest cost (investment an...

In their article, Kharecha and Hansen state that they seek to "avoid a false and counterproductive dichotomy" between air pollution and climate change, and to show that "nuclear power has provided a large contribution to the reduction of global mortality and GHG emissions due to fossil fuel use." But they end up perpetuating another false dichotomy...

Climate science suggests that, to have a high probability of limiting global warming to an average temperature increase of 2degC, global greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2020 and be reduced to close to zero by 2040. However, the current trend is heading towards at least 4 1C by 2100 and little effective action is being taken. This paper commen...

Recent climate science studies reveal that the greenhouse gas emissions trajectory is moving towards 3 to 4ºC warming. This new projection most likely requires peaking total global greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible followed by rapid reductions to near zero. Despite calls to immediately commence rapid mitigation, responses from most gover...

We investigate the impacts on the biophysical economy, employment and environment of a transition scenario to an energy-efficient, 100% renewable electricity (RE) system by 2060, based on wind, solar and biomass technologies, and an introduction of electric vehicles. We employ a CSIRO process-based model of the physical activity of Australia’s econ...

As a part of a program to explore technological options for the transition to a renewable energy future, we present simulations for 100% renewable energy systems to meet actual hourly electricity demand in the five states and one territory spanned by the Australian National Electricity Market (NEM) in 2010. The system is based on commercially avail...

Despite strong public support in Australia for renewable energy, its dissemination has suffered under both conservation Coalition governments (1996–2007) and less conservative Labour governments (2007–2011).

Energy use is the largest source of global greenhouse gas emissions. This article focuses on developed countries and the industrialized component of developing economies, as their energy systems are responsible for the vast majority of emissions. This article states that although most of the hardware parts of the technologies needed for a zero emis...

In recent years, the cost of photovoltaics (PV) has fallen significantly while electricity prices in many parts of the world have sharply increased. The policy challenge for PV is often described as temporary support measures required to arrive at 'grid parity', the point at which, it is claimed, endusers will deploy PV without further incentives....

There are arguably three principal threats to industrialised society and indeed to civilisation in the twenty-first century. All three are strongly linked to our current patterns of energy use and production. The first two threats are global climate change, that is, loss of climate security, and peak oil and gas, that is, loss of energy security. T...

Academic research is often justified to governments and the general public on the basis that it contributes to the solution of major problems and helps create a better life for all. But most of the academic research at Australian universities is disciplinary based, while the biggest problems faced by human society fall into the broad categories of...

For the past decade journalists and the general public have been bombarded with claims that nuclear energy is undergoing a renaissance. This alleged renaissance is in turn driven by the claim that nuclear energy is free of greenhouse gas emissions and therefore must become an important part of the solution to the climate change crisis. Furthermore,...