The breakdown and location of the 26,000 renewable energy jobs claimed for in the report is intruging. Only about 3,700 workers will be needed to run the new plants.

When you think about it, wind turbines, solar panels and so on don’t need workers crawling all over them to keep them running, do they? Most of the jobs — more than 15,000 — are tipped to come during the construction of these plants. Jobs, sure, but not long term. Significantly, 7600 jobs of the new jobs will be research, professional and administrative jobs involved in designing the plants, getting them operating then selling the electricity to consumers.

The report claims that Western Sydney has only five renewable energy projects. Three are biomass facilities at Camellia, Eastern Creek and Grange Ave, Marsden Park and two are solar generation projects at Newington and Sydney Olympic Park. In total these five facilities employ only five people; and, otherwise, the Climate Institute notes there is no projected employment increase to 2020 in renewable electricity generation for Western Sydney.

Moreover, because Western Sydney is under-represented in the professional services jobs that will be needed in the renewable energy sector, there are unlikely to be many new jobs for Western Sydney in this category either. Western Sydney is probably Australia’s largest manufacturing region. It will inevitably lose jobs as Australia responds to climate change targets. The problem for Western Sydney is that new jobs in renewable energy will not compensate the region for these job losses, even though there may be net jobs growth nationally. It’s a tough call, but one climate change activists need to confront.

So I disagree with you Richard. Governments must look seriously at the winners and losers from responding to climate change and take action to ensure that saving the planet from overheating also includes saving jobs-short regions from ongoing economic pain.

Phil O’Neill

You talk lots of sense and cut through the coal industry’s PR smog with precision.

Its a pity the political elite is so determined to ignore what you are saying. How about you call Eddie Perfect and get the farce out in a more appropriate medium - ‘Clean Coal : the musical’?