March Energy Update - Renewable Energy Conundrums

City Limits

Listen in to our March Energy week on City Limits!Intro discussion:East-West Link road is still on federal books as billions are kept aside in the budget.Alexandra parade is the shortest state highway in the country due to protests back in the 70s to stop the construction of the Eastern freeway. Find out more about that history: https://www.melbournefoe.org.au/45_years_of_acting_up_friends_of_the_earth_talking_tacticsStill no accountability for Crown Casino.Big polluters refuse to sign onto carbon reduction scheme.Kevin quizzes Zeb about her job at the worker cooperative Redgum. More on worker cooperatives: https://medium.com/circuitus/worker-cooperatives-as-an-alternative-solution-8d9381f9cf57Interview with Associate Professor Paddy Moriarty:Paddy discusses the limits of renewable energy with a focus on the lithium and rare earths that it currently requires. The mining of these resources are associated with environmental, humanitarian and potentially geopolitical problems. Other points of discussion include the viability of hydrogen, recycling battery components, other material inputs needed for renewable energy production, as well as the overall need for a decrease in energy use.Paddy has a book coming out soon: Switching Off: Meeting Energy Needs in A Constrained Future