Australia's next government-endorsed top scientist said Tuesday that the country should turn around its track record on relying on fossil fuels to create electricity.
Australia has no nuclear power plants. A large part of the argument that has kept the country from building any is the abundance of coal and natural gas in the country, especially in relation to its sparse population of 23.13 million.
But the country's next Chief Scientist, Monash University Chancellor Dr. Alan Finkel, announced by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Tuesday, said it was “critically important,” that the country turn away from its carbon emissions legacy and seek other alternatives.
“My fision is for a country, society and world where we don't use any coal, oil or natural gas, where we have zero emissions electricity,” Dr. Finkel remarked to reporters. “But you can't get there overnight,” he said, embracing a multi-directional alternative.
Finkel said “absolutely” when asked if nuclear power was a good option for Australia.
However, Finkel also said that a ban on new coal mines, which the government is considering, would not make a difference on a global scale, because the countries that buy from Australia would simply find another coal supplier.