CANBERRA, March 11 — Australia will struggle to reduce its contribution to global greenhouse emissions unless a viable alternative energy source can be developed within the next decade, according to local media on Thursday.
"If we actually don't make the progress on any of those associated technologies in the period 2015 to 2020, then Australia will have a challenge as will the global community in how we make progress in reducing emissions," Martin Ferguson, Resources and Energy Minister told ABC Television later Wednesday.
The federal government is investing in biofuels and carbon capture and storage (CCS) research, but beyond that, it insisted that it does not want to pick winners in the alternative energy sector, the minister said.
Ferguson described geothermal science, where power is extracted from the earth's core, as "one of the hopes", he said, adding that by 2015, carbon capture, solar-thermal or geothermal technologies would have to be proven.
The Group of Eight industrialized nations would also like a low- emission technology to be proven by 2020. CCS technology is crucial to Australia's future energy needs because about 80 percent of national electricity comes from coal. (PNA/Xinhua)
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