Who is denying what?

Al, Cate and Bob are telling us that it's OK to use as much energy as you like, as long as somebody, preferably someone else, pays for it.

Nothing Australia can do will have any appreciable positive effect. The world will not be inspired by our efforts. Falling on our swords will not be admired, it will not even be noticed by most of the world's population.

It is very likely that our efforts will exacerbate the problem.

Talk about shutting down our coal mines is dangerous nonsense. About 75% of our coal production is exported – about 105 million tonnes of steaming coal and 110 million tonnes of coking coal annually. It is exported to more than 35 countries – mainly Asia, but also to Europe, India, North Africa, the Middle East and South America.

Our coals have a high energy content and are low in non-combustible impurities, and are thus less polluting than coal from most other sources. They are particularly low in sulphur. If we were to close down the Australian coal mining industry partially or completely, the coal would be mined elsewhere, and would almost certainly be more polluting than Australian coal.

The net result would be an increase in global emissions at the cost of more than 21,000 jobs.

Our aluminium industry is already suffering through uncertainty about electricity cost, and jobs have been lost. A carbon tax will reduce Australia's international competitiveness.

The Australian industry is built on world demand for alumina and aluminium - over 80 per cent of Australian production is exported.

In 2008 Paul Howes of the AWU told a climate change conference in Sydney that 20,000 jobs were at risk. "Every tonne of alumina made in Western Australia uses half the energy and produces less than half the greenhouse emissions than if it was made in China. This is a critical point missed by those calling for industry to be shut down and Australian jobs offered offshore." I don't know what he's saying now.

China's aluminium sector has doubled its output in the past few years to 13 million tonnes from 80 smelters compared with six operating in Australia. Aluminium is Australia's third-biggest commodity export behind coal and steel. Sacrificing it will increase global emissions and cost jobs.

What can Australia do? Concentrate on doing what we do well – providing clean coal and encouraging a highly efficient alumina industry for example.

Recognising, as most of the world does, that coal will be the major source of energy for the foreseeable future, and researching technologies that make it safer and cleaner. Encouraging research into renewable or sustainable generation of power and the technology to store it.