The following article discusses an extreme (by current standards) heat wave in Australia. This island continent is running out of water and experiencing increasing temperatures — an ominous preview of what the rest of the world will face as global warming progresses.
Southern Australia is 12 years into a massive, crippling drought that has no historical precedent. Joe Romm at Climate Progress has called the country “the canary in the coal mine for climate-driven desertification.” As the island nation warms, it’s getting sucked dry. The Australian Alps have endured their driest three years ever. Water from the country’s most vital river system, the Murray-Darling Basin, responsible for a quarter of the country’s food production, now doesn’t even reach the sea 150 days a year. Scientists and government officials are—to be blunt—freaking out.
Three Questions
1) How have temperature ranges and water availability changed in your area?
2) “Drought” refers to a temporary reduction in rainfall. What shall we call a permanent reduction? Because we’re going to need that word.
3) How are we going to deal with waves of “environmental refugees” driven from their homes as global warming makes more places uninhabitable?
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Hesham 02.05.09 at 3:11 am
Even if we got the gift of life the river Nile but we dream about clean water in Egypt, you have no idea!
Thank you for your nice post!
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Elizabeth Barrette Reply:
February 5th, 2009 at 11:33 am
I’m very interested in environmental issues around the world. Really, there is only one hydrosphere — all the water on Earth is part of the same system. What happens in one place affects what happens in other places.
I have been hearing about trouble with the Nile for some years now, including low water flow, pollution, and human interference. People keep wanting to control the Nile because of its historic flood cycle, but if it’s not allowed to flood, the river’s function suffers and surrounding environments don’t thrive. Here is a good article about threatened river systems:
http://www.inteldaily.com/?c=120&a=1416
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