Is this a proper comparison? The opposite of "austerity" is wastefulness. The opposite of technology is...what?

The problems of fossil fuels and the environment have been known for 50+ years. I see no significant slowdown in the global burning of fossil fuels, period. Adding on wind and solar energy doesn't solve the problem in itself. It must REPLACE fossil burning, which, again, the data doesn't show if you look at global consumption.

Oil/gas/coal is a near certainty in production and use. Solar and wind, as any child can point out, is never certain. Fortunately, Australia has plenty of both in certain areas. Does it have enough to replace coal, of which Australia burns a lot? Maybe.

But my money is that as long as Australia has cheap coal it will be burnt in abundance. Don't get me wrong. I WANT you to be right. It's a psychology problem. How do you fix that?