You bet he is...
Posted on 07/20/2008 9:24:26 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
The bleak report into the future of the Murray-Darling river system found the situation had become "critical".
The system, which runs from Queensland in the country's north east to Victoria in the south, irrigates Australia's vast food bowl and drinking water to more than a million people.
However, due to rising temperatures and a desperate lack of rain, inflows to the basin are at their lowest ever recorded levels.
Climate change minister Penny Wong yesterday said the Murray Darling was "in real trouble".
"We've had very low inflows, we've had a very dry June and the focus absolutely has to be critical human needs, that is the needs of the million-plus people who rely on the basin for drinking water," she said.
"It just reminds us, yet again, the way in which this country is particularly vulnerable to climate change."
Australia is in the grip of the worst drought in a century, with water restrictions in place in most major cities and a forecast for more dry weather.
The report said the parched Murray-Darling system should provide enough drinking water until the middle of next year.
But the document, compiled by senior federal and state government officials, warned there could be difficulties supplying drinking water after that if rains did not arrive.
"Work is continuing on contingency planning in order to protect critical human needs for 2009-10 should inflows remain at or below record minimums through winter," it said.
More than 40 per cent of Australia's food comes from the Murray-Darling Basin. It would take years of above-average rainfall to return water levels in the basin to normal.
A recent report predicted a tenfold increase in the frequency of heat waves as climate change continues to push up temperatures on the continent.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Bush’s fault (for drying up the Bush).
Climate change minister? They sound as if Australia never had a drought before, they have them periodically. Here is another country being brought down by greenies and PC. They are surrounded by water, but will they build nukes for desalination? Nope, they won't. There is no need for any country bordering on an ocean to ever suffer from drought again if we could just get the stupid greenies out of our lives. Why in the he** do we, and Australia, put up with it?
You bet he is...
How utterly unusual. s/
Cardinal Pell asked all to Pray for Rain... at the Catholic world Youth Day In Australia Sunday with Pope Benedict XVI...
This is your typical alarmist observation.
Oh, By the way, If they want water, there will be floods. Extremely so.
Floods always happen at the end of a drought cycle. This is known as a balancing force.
Like the Lord requested that Israel gather "Double" the portion of Manna on the day before the Sabbath, because on the "Sabbath' there would be no Manna, so should the complainers who complain about a drought collect the balancing force of the extra water that comes at the end of the cycle. Has anyone ever heard of a "Drought Buster?"
If people would pay attention to cycles, perhaps they wouldn't have to worry as much if they would only "Prepare" for the future.
That might be faster and less expensive than nukes and desalinization. Still, I would have the nuke project undeway ASAP.
Increased population and irrigation may be part of the problem:
http://www.mdbc.gov.au/about/tour_the_basin/irrigation
There are many parts of the Murray-Darling Basin where irrigation dominates the landscape and the regional economy. On an area basis alone, the Basin contains 72% of Australia’s total area of irrigated crops and pastures. The important irrigation industries are dairy, cotton, rice and horticulture (in particular viticulture).
The value of irrigated production from the Basin has been estimated to be worth $3-$4 billion at the farm gate, with an estimated four fold multiplier in value through processing beyond the farm gate.
The area under cotton in the Murray-Darling Basin provides 96% of Australia’s total production for cotton. In 1998-99 this equated to 680 000 tonnes with a value of $1.25 billion.
About 80% of the crop is grown under irrigation mainly along the Darling River and its tributaries in northern New South Wales and Queensland.
(If you take out more than comes in, what happens?)
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