Thursday, July 10, 2008


In a fairly recent post, I mentioned the work done by climate paleontologist Dr. Jonathan Overpeck from the Univ. of Arizona Institute for the Study of Planet Earth. Overpeck was a member of the IPCC and did research on the role of climate change in causing drought in southwestern North America. It makes me think of our own future.


I wonder if our future is not being foretold by this story from the Melbourne, AU HeraldSun.
The once mighty Murray-Darling is now little more than a creek.

The Murray-Darling Basin Commission yesterday revealed that June inflows to the parched river system were the lowest on record.

Just 95 gigalitres flowed into the system last month, down from the previous low of 106 gigalitres in June 2006.

The average is 680 gigalitres.

The report backs up predictions that the Murray-Darling will be dry by the end of the century.
* In depth: The Big Dry
We have to be concerned, though I don't think that we are doing enough. Step 1. has to be based on energy use reductions. If that is not done, there is no step 2.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Listen to Maude Barlow, global water activist: personal, individual water use accounts for only 10 percent of the use and misuse of water. The other 90 percent is used and misused by agriculture and industry. Not that individuals shouldn't conserve--of course they should. But this is yet another effect of corporate globalization and the rape of the earth for profit--at everyone else's loss.

http://fora.tv/2008/02/18/Maude_Barlow_Global_Water_Crisis