One consequence of Joe Biden’s disastrous performance in the first presidential debate, and arguably the most important one, is that the world will not achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Maybe if Biden now stands aside someone else could beat Donald Trump, but unless that happens, Trump wins and reinforces the shift to the right that’s already happening in Europe.

And ever since the fossil fuel industry persuaded the world’s conservatives that global warming was a left-wing plot, after both Reagan and Thatcher advocated action to prevent it, that means less, or no, action to reduce emissions.

Trump has repeatedly called it a hoax, promised to end the “war on coal” and pull out of the Paris agreement.

Unless Biden quits, Australia and the world should be preparing for a second Trump presidency, which means preparing for global warming of a lot more than the Paris target of 1.5 degrees Celsius – at least 2 degrees, probably more.

Actually the truth is that net zero by 2050 and 1.5 degrees is virtually impossible anyway.

We should keep the target of net zero by 2050, but not fool ourselves that it can be achieved, or that even if we did pull it off, it would make any difference to the temperature of the planet.

The 2024 Integrated System Plan from the Australian Energy Market Operator last week made it pretty clear that Australia has zero hope of being net zero by 2050.

In summary, AEMO said the rate of investment........

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