State Library of South Australia As we slowly emerge from lockdown, local adventures are high on people’s wish lists. You may be planning a trip to the ski fields, or even the nearby hills to revel in the […]
Read more
Water is a highly contested resource in this long, oppressive drought, and the coal industry is one of Australia’s biggest water users. Research released today, funded by the Australian Conservation Foundation, has identified how much water coal mining […]
Read more
Dean Lewins/AAP The last bushfire season showed Australians they can no longer pretend climate change will not affect them. But there’s another climate change influence we must also face up to: increasingly scarce water on our continent. Under […]
Read more
After the intensely dry conditions of 2019, January and February have brought much-needed rain. Dams in many cities and towns were replenished and some farmers may be able to grow a crop for the first time in several […]
Read more
Throughout summer, Sydney’s water storage level fell alarmingly. Level 2 water restrictions were imposed and the New South Wales government prepared to double the capacity of its desalination plant. But then it began to rain, and rain. Sydney […]
Read more
Recent helpful rains dampened fire grounds and gave many farmers a reason to cheer. But much of southeast Australia remains in severe drought. Australia is no stranger to drought, but the current one stands out when looking at […]
Read more
The past Australian summer was a season of two contrasting halves. So did the midsummer weather change make a dent in the drought, and is it likely to continue through autumn? The first half of summer was exceptionally […]
Read more
Dave Hunt/AAP 2019 was the year Australians confronted the fact that a healthy environment is more than just a pretty waterfall in a national park; a nice extra we can do without. We do not survive without air […]
Read more
Bushfires pose serious short- and long-term impacts to public drinking water quality. They can damage water supply infrastructure and water catchments, impeding the treatment processes that normally make our water safe to drink. Several areas in New South […]
Read more
Public attention on the disastrous bushfire crisis in Australia will rightly continue for weeks to come. But as we direct resources to coping and recovery, we should not forget other weather and climate challenges looming this summer. Bushfires […]
Read more
For the thousand or so farmers in Canberra in the past week venting their anger at the federal government, it’s the Murray-Darling Basin Plan to blame for destroying their livelihoods and forcing them off the land. We can’t […]
Read more
The issue of whether Australia’s current drought is caused by climate change has been seized on by some media commentators, with debate raging over a remark from eminent scientist Andy Pitman that “there is no link between climate […]
Read more
There is a phrase in the novel East of Eden that springs to mind every time politicians speak of “drought-proofing” Australia: And it never failed that during the dry years the people forgot about the rich years, and […]
Read more
Summer might be more than six weeks away, but out-of-control bushfires have already torn across parts of eastern Australia in recent days, destroying homes and threatening lives. Firefighters battle bushfires in Angourie, northern New South Wales, on September […]
Read more
Australia has one of the most sophisticated water markets in the world, particularly notable for the ways in which government can return water to the environment. Water markets allow the return of this water through two main mechanisms. […]
Read more
The level of water stored by Australia’s capital cities has steadily fallen over the last six years. They are now collectively at 54.6% of capacity – a decline of 30% from 2013. We’re going into a hot summer […]
Read more
A grim summer is likely for the rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin and the people, flora and fauna that rely on it. Having worked for sustainable management of these rivers for decades, I fear the coming months will […]
Read more
Winter still has a few days to run, but it’s highly likely to be one of Australia’s warmest and driest on record. While final numbers will be crunched once August ends, this winter will probably rank among the […]
Read more
There’s broad support from communities and farmers for proper water audits. John/Flickr, CC BY-SA In the wake of a damning royal commission and an ABC Four Corners investigation, the federal government has created an Inspector General for the […]
Read more
Inland towns need far more water storage. Flickr/Mertie, CC BY-SA The federal parliament has voted to funnel A$200 million to drought-stricken areas. What exactly this money will be spent on is still under consideration, but the majority will […]
Read more