you'd think so. Here's the deal -
You know, a nation that is largely a livable strip equidistantly surrounding about a zillion square miles of rainless desert should be able to come up with a creative solution for its energy problems a lot more easily than some other places. ;)
you'd think so, especially with the unsustainibility of the current scenario:
The WWF's Living Planet Report analyses the eco-footprint of 150 countries around the world every two years. In 2004 Australia had the fourth highest eco-footprint, 7.7 global hectares (gha) per capita. The average eco-footprint globally was 2.2gha with only 1.8gha available per person globally.
..
The WWF's Living Planet Report 2004 also indicates that if everyone else in the world consumed resources and energy and produced wastes the way Australians currently do, we would need approximately four Earths to support us.
.. regardless of any quibbles of how ecofootprints are calculated, I can back this up by personal experience like those in my first post above.
It's true this country doesn't have a manufacturing base capable of implementing large scale 'creative solutions' on the scale of the US rail network for instance, and it's also true that a huge solar tower is being planned, but there is also it seems a nationwide emphasis on narrow self-interest and narrowly focussed solutions. There is also a type of 'uber pragmatism' which means that someone like Nick can't get funding for full-on Mars geo research even though he's made significant contributions already. This is partly because there isn't enough money to go around, but IMHO it's really and ultimately because people here just don't give a crap.