We are told, incessantly, that man’s use of hydrocarbon fuels will cause climate catastrophe, with more droughts, heat waves, forest fires, floods, blizzards, snow storms, typhoons, hurricanes, super-storms and “weird” weather.

Why then would governments compound these claimed risks by pushing weather-dependent energy like wind, solar, hydro or tidal power?

During heat waves on sultry summer afternoons, wind power fails when our cold rooms, fridges and air-conditioners need it most. And overheating turbines start bushfires.

On cold still winter nights, wind and solar will produce zero power when all the trains, heaters, TV sets and coffee machines are sucking energy at the end of a football game.

In a gale, turbines switch off to avoid damage; in still air they sit idle; in a snowstorm they consume power to prevent icing up; and in a tsunami, offshore wind turbines and tidal generators are destroyed.

Solar panels shut down every night; their output varies even when the sun shines; they are blotted out by snow, clouds or dust; and are smashed by hailstones.

Even mighty hydro-power will fail if we suffer the never-ending Flannery Droughts.

So if the alarmists are right, and if we are faced with wild weather for any reason, we can’t trust weather-dependent energy.

Stick to reliable hydro-carbons – coal, oil and gas, and for dire emergencies - diesel. They will produce electricity, weather-or-not.