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Sky News AU
17-05-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
A plan too grand: The massive tactical mistakes the Liberal Party made on its landmark nuclear policy that led to crushing election defeat
Peter Dutton's crushing defeat at the election dramatically changed the composition of the parliament, but it didn't change the laws of physics. The Liberal Party cannot walk away from its commitment to nuclear unless it is willing to make the case for keeping coal. The objective facts remain. The engineering challenge of powering a grid on weather-dependent energy sources is overwhelming. Batteries and pumped hydro are band-aid solutions to the problem of intermittency, but they are storage devices, not generators. The finances don't stack up without subsidies and favourable regulations. New power lines are expensive, ugly and storm prone. Wind and solar plants require vast areas of land and damage ecosystems. A renewable energy-only policy would be a sour joke unless the Coalition can solve these and other challenges. It would ignore the experience around the world where policymakers are realising that engineering challenges cannot be wished away. Spain's recent blackout shows what happens when a grid without conventional inertia suffers a fault. A system dominated by solar and wind is complex to restart, so it took longer to restore power in Spain than in Portugal, which has abundant hydro generation and a large amount of gas. Meanwhile, the Chinese government has approved the construction of ten nuclear power stations as part of its aggressive clean energy expansion over the next 15 years. On Tuesday, the Danish Energy Minister Lars Aagaard told the newspaper Politiken that the centrist coalition was considering lifting a 40-year-old ban on nuclear power. The Norwegian government has established a commission to examine nuclear power. Serbia lifted its ban on nuclear power last November, and a feasibility study for building the country's first reactors is almost complete. Israel is considering a proposal to build the country's first commercial nuclear power station 40 km southwest of Beersheba in the Negev Desert. Google has signed an agreement with Elementl Power, a developer of nuclear power projects, to commit funding for three nuclear generators, each with 600 MW of generation capacity. Nuclear technology is developing quickly. Last week, the Ontario Power Group received approval for the country's first small modular reactor, and a test plant is being built in Finland. A transportable micro-reactor is being developed in Canada. What a contrast to Australia, where the government's favourite future technology, green hydrogen, is no nearer to commercial development than it was three years ago. In post-truth politics, facts from abroad don't always register at home. Today, as Humpty Dumpty says in Through the Looking Glass: "When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean". It is not easy to be a conviction politician in an era where energy policy is shaped by focus groups and getting through the next election is all that seems to matter. Mr Dutton thought differently. As he told viewers in the final leaders' debate: "I haven't committed to nuclear energy for votes. I committed to it because it's in the best interests of our country." Mr Dutton could not find the pub-ready arguments for nuclear energy, but his successor must. Otherwise, the Party risks surrendering to the post-truth tide of emotional narratives and manipulated facts. The Energy Minister's claim that baseload power can be supplied by low-density, intermittent renewables like wind and solar is environmental happy talk. There is no empirical evidence to support it. Yet the Liberal Party is urged to follow this untested path by abandoning the only proven clean energy technology. The weight of evidence in nuclear's favour makes the Coalition's failure to win the policy debate all the more bemusing. We can bellyache about Labor's lies, but the bottom line is that the Coalition arrived at the election without persuasive, put-ready arguments. Shadow Energy Minister Ted O'Brien has spent the last three years researching nuclear power in great detail. He undoubtedly outperformed Energy Minister Chris Bowen in one-on-one policy debates and more than held his own in hostile forums like ABC's Q and A. With hindsight, however, the Dutton Opposition made four tactical mistakes. Its attempt to present a grand national plan for seven nuclear generators magnified the challenges and allowed opponents to magnify the cost. The revised nuclear proposal that should be presented at the next election must focus on overcoming the first hurdle: removing the moratorium. The case should be inarguable. What objection can there be to a level playing field on which nuclear energy will compete with other sources? A technology-agnostic policy in a competitive market will allow engineers and capital markets to decide if nuclear energy stacks up. Second, the Liberals were hesitant about costs. It was unprepared to do what Labor did and pick a figure out of the air, knowing that accurate forecasts are impossible to make. The solution was to spread the risk. A utility market must always be regulated, but that doesn't mean the government has to do everything. Various forms of private-public partnerships have been successful in Finland, the US and elsewhere. The Coalition's third tactical mistake was to play it safe on renewable energy. It failed to expose the flaws in the government's policy, including the cost. The arguments for nuclear should have begun by establishing the need for a plan B. The singular focus on nuclear energy conveyed the strong impression that nuclear energy is the cure for all our energy woes, which it is not. Its final tactical mistake was not to hammer home the vital role of gas, without which our energy system cannot survive in its current form, saturated with intermittent energy. Gas is far from ideal as a source of baseload power, but generators are relatively quick to build, and Australia has gas in abundance. A committed government would fast-track gas projects right now and incentivise investors by including gas in the capacity market. The incoming Labor government, meanwhile, seems set to amplify its first-term mistakes by increasing its emissions reduction target for 2035, even though there is little hope it can meet its 2030 target. Consumers and businesses should prepare for a rough ride. However unfit for purpose our energy system is now, we know it will be much worse by 2028. By then the arguments for nuclear power will write themselves. Nick Cater is senior fellow at Menzies Research Centre and a regular contributor to Sky News Australia
News18
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
A Decade of Dazzle: Revisiting 10 Years Of Iconic Met Gala Themes And Unforgettable Fashion Moments
The Met Gala, known as 'fashion's biggest night,' is an annual fundraiser for the Costume Institute at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Widely regarded as 'fashion's biggest night,' the Met Gala is an annual gala held to benefit the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The event unites the most influential figures from fashion, entertainment, and culture under one roof, where creativity meets couture. Each year, the gala revolves around a carefully curated theme, encouraging attendees to showcase daring, imaginative, and unforgettable interpretations on the red carpet. While Hollywood's elite often dominate the spotlight, Bollywood stars have also left a remarkable impression at the prestigious affair, adding a unique cultural richness to the global celebration of style. Let's revisit the themes of the past ten Met Galas and the standout fashion moments that defined them. 2015 – China: Through the Looking Glass Rihanna completely changed the Met Gala after wearing this. People only started taking the met gala seriously after 2015 because of Rihanna's yellow grown — chu (@THEHORRORGOTH) May 6, 2024 The 2015 theme explored China's impact on Western fashion. The night's most talked-about look came from Rihanna, who stunned in a grand yellow fur-trimmed cape designed by Chinese couturier Guo Pei, instantly becoming a pop culture sensation. This theme focused on the blend between traditional craftsmanship and modern machine-made fashion. Celebrities embraced futuristic designs—Katy Perry channelled a dark, tech-inspired aesthetic, while Emma Watson made a sustainable statement in an outfit crafted from recycled plastic bottles. 2017 – Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between Honoring the visionary Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo, this edition embraced avant-garde fashion. Stars either wore Kawakubo's own experimental designs or interpreted her distinctive style. Katy Perry and Pharrell Williams co-chaired the event, emphasizing the boundary-pushing nature of the theme. 2018 – Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination Priyanka Chopra killing it on the red carpet wearing RalphLauren at the Met Gala 2018 — . (@desixslays) May 8, 2018 Drawing inspiration from Catholic art and iconography, this theme saw the Met partner with the Vatican to exhibit rare religious garments. Priyanka Chopra embraced the divine aesthetic in a deep burgundy velvet Ralph Lauren gown topped with an ornate bejewelled hood, epitomising celestial elegance. 2019 – Camp: Notes on Fashion lady gaga at the met gala 2019 giving high fashion barbie — pop culture gal (@allurequinn) August 6, 2023 Defined by extravagance and theatrical flair, 2019's theme encouraged over-the-top glamour. Lady Gaga delivered a dramatic red carpet performance with multiple outfit reveals, while Deepika Padukone enchanted in a voluminous pink gown, channelling a life-sized Barbie dream. 2021 – In America: A Lexicon of Fashion Billie Eilish, Met Gala 2021. 🤎 — billie eilish source (@billiesource) September 1, 2024 Marking the Met Gala's return after the COVID-19 hiatus, this theme celebrated American identity through fashion. Billie Eilish brought old Hollywood glam to life in a sweeping peach tulle gown, while Zoë Kravitz turned heads with her bold, sheer crystal-embellished dress. 2022 – In America: An Anthology of Fashion The follow-up to 2021's theme delved deeper into American fashion history and its most iconic designers. Natasha Poonawalla stood out in a daring look that fused tradition and couture, combining a classic Sabyasachi saree with a gold sculptural Schiaparelli bustier. 2023 – Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty This year paid homage to the late fashion legend Karl Lagerfeld. Attendees celebrated his signature monochrome aesthetic, with many paying tribute to his legacy through Chanel-inspired ensembles. 2024 – Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion alia bhatt for the 2024 met gala ✨ — hourly Alia (@AliaHourly) May 7, 2024 Inspired by archival fashion and forgotten masterpieces, this theme asked guests to evoke The Garden of Time. Alia Bhatt embraced the vision in a delicate pastel Sabyasachi saree, exuding timeless grace and subtle drama on the red carpet. top videos View all 2025 – Superfine: Tailoring Black Style Set to unfold on May 5, the 2025 Met Gala will spotlight Black style and sartorial storytelling, inspired by the aesthetics of dandyism and the tailoring tradition. The theme, Tailored for You, invites personal interpretations of fashion excellence. Co-chaired by Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, and Pharrell Williams—alongside Anna Wintour and honorary chair LeBron James—the evening promises to celebrate individuality, identity, and craftsmanship in striking new ways. First Published:
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US Oil Production to Peak in 2027, Natural Gas by 2032: EIA
The idea of peak oil is familiar to most readers. It refers to the point at which global petroleum production reaches its maximum point and begins an irreversible decline. The concept was first introduced by M. King Hubbert in the 1950s. His theory proposed that oil production would follow a bell-shaped curve, with a peak representing the point at which half of the total recoverable reserves had been extracted. This prediction has been largely accurate, as we have witnessed a steady increase in global oil production followed by signs of plateauing and even decline in recent years. The implications of peak oil are far-reaching. As we deplete the most accessible oil reserves, extracting remaining resources becomes increasingly challenging and expensive. This leads to higher production costs, which are eventually passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices for gasoline, diesel fuel, and other petroleum-based products. Additionally, the transition to less accessible reserves can disrupt supply chains and geopolitical stability, further exacerbating the challenges associated with peak oil. The inevitability of peak oil is driven by a confluence of factors: geological constraints, geopolitical instability, technological limitations and rising demand. ( Aug. 29, 2024) Turning to the United States, another Oilprice article from last year quoted ConocoPhillps CEO Ryan Lance, who forecast that US production would advance to about 14 million barrels of oil per day a few years hence, and then plateau. He was quoted in an S&P Global article: 'Probably later this decade we'll see US production plateau and will probably stay there a long time,' he said. 'I don't know that we'll get to 15 [million b/d], but I think we'll pass through 14 million [b/d] on the way to 15 million [b/d].' Oilfield veteran David Messler wrote that from March of 2019 the average daily output per Permian rig has increased from 624 BOPD to 1,359 — a 60% rise. As of March 2024, though, Messler said that we are nearing the peak of the arc. When that happens, the curve will bend down, as noted in the graph below. This is referred to in shale professional circles as The Red Queen effect, referring to a scene in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass where Alice learns from the Red Queen that she must run increasingly fast just to stay in the same place. This has turned out to be a fairly apt metaphor for shale production. A report from energy analyst firm, Enervus, to this effect was summarized in a Journal of Petroleum Technology article August, 16th of last year. Dane Gregoris, report author and managing director at Enervus Intelligence Research, was quoted as saying: 'The US shale industry has been massively successful, roughly doubling the production out of the average oil well over the last decade, but that trend has slowed in recent years. The production decline rate has grown steeper at a rate of more than 0.5% annually since 2010. We've observed that decline curves, meaning the rate at which production falls over time, are getting steeper as well density increases. Summed up, the industry's treadmill is speeding up and this will make production growth more difficult than it was in the past.' (US oil production in recent years has been remarkably prolific. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the United States produced more crude oil than any other country between 2018 and 2023. The average monthly total hit a record high in December 2023 at more than 13.3 million barrels a day, breaking the previous US and global record of 12.3 MBOPD set in 2019. Together, the United States, Russia and Saudi Arabia accounted for 40 percent (32.8 million b/d) of global oil production in 2023.) It seems that Messler and Gregoris are correct in their observations of US peak oil. According to the EIA via Reuters, US oil production will peak at 14 million BOPD in 2027, maintain that level through the end of the decade, then rapidly decline. By 2050, output from the world's largest oil producer will fall to about 11.3 MBOPD. Shale oil production will peak at 10 MBOPD in 2027, up from about 9.69 MBOPD this year, the EIA said in its Annual Energy Outlook, before declining to around 9.33 MBOPD by 2050. The forecasts show that the nearly two-decades old U.S. shale boom is drawing closer to its end, challenging U.S. President Donald Trump's vision of unleashing higher domestic oil supply. As for natural gas, output and demand will both peak in 2032, according to the EIA. That year, dry gas output will hit 119 billion cubic feet per day (BCFPD) and demand will reach 92.4 BCFD. Those numbers would surpass current record highs of 103.6 BCFD in 2023 and 90.5 BCFD of demand in 2024. By 2040, natural gas output is expected to ease to 112.9 BCFD, and edge back up to 115.2 BCFD in 2050, according to the EIA. Demand should fall to 80.7 BCFD in 2040 before rising to 82.5 BCFD in 2050, the agency stated. LNG exports are expected to soar from a record 11.9 BCFD in 2024 to 15.2 BCFD in 2025, 21.5 BCFD in 2030 and 26.8 BCFD in 2040 before easing to 26.7 BCFD in 2050, the EIA said via Reuters. Is peak oil and gas a foregone conclusion? Not according to a recent piece by Irina Slav. Despite volatility in commodities markets related to the Trump tariffs, analysts suggest that unless the trade war causes long-term economic damage, US shale output may hold steady or rebound. The outlook depends particularly on the duration of the US-China trade dispute: 'We need to wait and see what happens over the next quarter or two,' Gabelli Funds analyst Simon Wong says. 'I don't expect drastic changes if WTI falls below $60 and quickly rebounds. However, if WTI falls below $60 and stays there for 2 consecutive quarters, I would expect U.S. E&P producers to start lower capital expenditures and defer production. US production will still likely grow at or around $60, stay flat around $58-$60, but start declining under $55.' By Andrew Topf for More Top Reads From this article on
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
On Islamophobia and migration, Labour are asking us to believe the impossible
Alice laughed. 'There's no use trying,' she said. 'One can't believe impossible things.' 'I daresay you haven't had much practice,' said the Queen. My friend Geoffrey reminded me a few days ago of that glorious exchange between the Red Queen and Alice in Through the Looking Glass. We were discussing the Labour government which, whatever your reservations, is certainly giving us a lot of practice when it comes to believing impossible things. Off the top of my head, a selection of their impossible things: 1) Rachel Reeves insists growth will spring from measures which kill growth. 2) Ed Miliband claims the headlong pursuit of net zero will see energy bills come down and GB Energy will create 1,000 jobs. Unhelpfully, the chairman of GB Energy just admitted that would be over a 20-year period – 50 jobs a year at around 10 million quid each. Impossible to believe? Not if you get enough practice. (The decision to replace an efficient energy system based on carbon with an inefficient renewables one requires vast acres of British farmland to be carpeted with ecologically-disastrous windmills and solar panels.) 3) Sir Keir Starmer thinks that having a voice coach round on Christmas Eve 2020 during the Covid lockdown, when London and the South East were under Tier 4 restrictions (no household mixing, only work from home; some who obeyed the rules suffered the anguish of missing their parent's death), was perfectly fine. Not just 'two-tier' Keir, then, but Tier 4 Keir! The Labour leader still sounds like a Dalek with sinusitis. It casts a certain amount of doubt on the 'voice coach' story. Bear in mind this is the hypocrite who thought Boris should resign over a bit of cake during lockdown. 4) Angela Rayner plans to create a 'council on Islamophobia' to advise on drawing up an official definition for anti-Muslim discrimination. Essentially a de facto blasphemy law which could criminalise white people, black people, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, atheists and other non-Muslims who don't want a parallel society in their country with Sharia law and attitudes too often hostile to liberal democratic values. Objecting to special treatment for a section of the population with minimal integration, where women and girls are often treated as second-class citizens, is not a 'phobia'. It's a perfectly rational dislike of seeing our once-harmonious society descend into ugly religious separatism and politically-motivated favouritism. Instead of launching an urgent national inquiry into the mainly Pakistani origin child-rape gangs as it should, Labour prefers to come up with a new law which could make commenting on that scandal an imprisonable offence. The majority white population loses its right to object to its own demise. 'Sentence first, verdict afterwards!' Lewis Carroll's Queen would approve of the chillingly authoritarian Starmer Socialists. Of all the impossible things we have been required to believe since a far-Left government came to power last July, surely the most Alice in Wonderland in its surreal, upended logic, is the bold new plan to tackle the small boats crisis. The key to solving the problem of illegal migrants is, wait for it… to make them legal! Under a new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, the Government will repeal swathes of the Conservatives' Illegal Migration Act (2023) which stipulated that if you entered the country illegally you would never obtain the prize of British citizenship. A major deterrent to those forking out thousands to cross the Channel and tap into the UK's absurd largesse is slyly disappeared. The Act also stated that asylum seekers could be treated as over 18 if they refused to take a scientific age assessment. Pity the poor foster carers who are obliged to believe an impossible thing: the asylum seeker just delivered to their door is a 'child' when he has a surprisingly vigorous beard and size 11 feet. Yes, that actually happens. Smuggling gangs actively advise their customers to claim they are minors because children are more likely to be granted refugee status: some 1,300 tried to pull that trick in the first half of last year alone. So British youngsters, in dire need of a foster place, have been discriminated against because a fraudulent non-child from a foreign country is considered more deserving. And let's not worry about all those undocumented young males from violent, war-torn countries parachuted into secondary schools where they are free to molest girls who may be 10 years younger – Labour clearly isn't worried. As long as it means 'reducing the number' of illegal migrants while, er, keeping that number exactly the same. A mere seven months into a Labour government and the public has already had enough of this nonsensical charade, I think. The crazy tax and spend, the wokery, the suicide of net zero, the insult to national identity and free speech that is Islamophobia. Unlike Lewis Carroll's Queen we are no longer prepared to believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast. Nor do we wish to be helpless spectators as we watch Britain, gradually destroyed by a dim sanctimony of politicians and civil servants, hurtling towards recession while the people whose taxes pay for everything are sent to the back of the queue. By now, it is pretty clear that the mass immigration inflicted upon us, both by the Conservatives, and even worse under Labour, is so ruinous as to amount to treason. Desperate for hope, former Tory and Labour voters are turning to Reform UK which this week pulled off the historic feat of topping a YouGov poll. Nigel Farage's party is on 25 per cent of the vote while Labour is on 24 per cent (down 3 per cent) with the Conservatives on 21 per cent (down 1 per cent). I wasn't a bit surprised, were you? The establishment's usual trick of threatening to ostracise anyone who dares to vote for racists/populists/Nazis simply doesn't work any more. We are aware we have little left to lose, and not much time to save what is precious and remains. Only fools and BBC presenters hold to the view that closing the borders is racist. Look at Sweden, a self-styled 'moral superpower' which let in hundreds of thousands of refugees and where foreign-born citizens now account for 20 per cent of the population. Last week, after Salwan Momika, an anti-Islam activist who repeatedly burned the Koran in 2023, was gunned down in Stockholm, its ashen prime minister admitted they had 'lost control', with immigrant gangs exploding 30 bombs since the start of the year. Today's deadly attack on an adult education centre that offers Swedish classes to immigrants adds to the terrifying cycle of violence. Sweden, where liberal idealism went to die – or be murdered. Now look at the US, where President Trump's sparky young press secretary told astounded journalists earlier this week that the administration would be deporting illegal migrants whom they regarded as 'criminals' because they 'entered the country illegally'. 'So simple, but so right,' as Farage texted me yesterday. Quite. We have had too much practice believing impossible things. America has rejected delusion and decline. So must we. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
