Even God hates Australia! JK!

[Oracle of Delphi]

Australia is in the midst of a crippling drought, the country's worst on record. Many towns and cities have been forced to enact drastic water restrictions as reservoirs have run dry. Rivers have been reduced to a trickle. The drought has severely damaged the agricultural sector. Farmers are raising emaciated cattle and sheep. Cotton-lint production has plummeted. Wine grape and rice output has collapsed. Agricultural production has fallen by almost one-quarter in a year. And it is estimated that the drought has knocked three-quarters to 1 per cent off the country's growth as a whole.

And now the government is reaching for desperate measures. Australia's Prime Minister, John Howard, has announced there may be a ban on the use of the country's largest river system for irrigation unless there is significant rainfall over the next two months. The government is preparing to wrest regulatory control of the Murray and Darling rivers from the five states through which they run to ensure that water is reserved for urban drinking supplies and farmers' domestic use.

The Murray-Darling river basin has been called Australia's "food bowl". It generates about 40 per cent of the country's farm produce. If this tract of land - the size of France and Spain combined - is denied irrigation it would spell ruin for Australia's agricultural sector. Thousands of farmers could lose their citrus, almond and olive trees if they cannot be watered. Trees would die and production would be impossible for at least half a decade. Even if the rains do come in Australia in the coming weeks, as forecast, they will have to be especially long and prolonged to alleviate the crisis.

Moreover, this is a taste of things to come - not just for Australia, but the world. As the latest report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes clear, the runaway warming of the earth will bring severe drought in its wake. And the economic consequences will be disastrous. Sir Nicholas Stern's report for the Treasury outlined last year how climate change could be as economically traumatic as the Great Depression or the world wars of the 20th century.

Link: http://comment.independent.co.uk/leading_a...icle2465904.ece

[CARBIZ]

Okay, but hasn't Man's intrusions into these areas, particularly of growing non-indegenous crops, contributed to the mess? Just asking. Global Warming arguments aside, too often Man has tried to tame areas that he has no business being in. Las Vegas comes to mind. Unless new sources of water are found (de-salination and its implications for further "global warming), perhaps Australia (and other countries) need to re-evaluate what they are doing.

For example, Australia gets a lot of sunshine, and I saw a need gizmo that fits onto the back of a pick up truck that is designed for Africa that will create 2,500 litres of drinking water a day, running off solar power and needs servicing twice a year. Bigger units might be perfect for de-salinating water for these farms.

Just a thought.

[Jamie]

Australia is in the midst of a crippling drought, the country's worst on record. Many towns and cities have been forced to enact drastic water restrictions as reservoirs have run dry. Rivers have been reduced to a trickle. The drought has severely damaged the agricultural sector. Farmers are raising emaciated cattle and sheep. Cotton-lint production has plummeted. Wine grape and rice output has collapsed. Agricultural production has fallen by almost one-quarter in a year. And it is estimated that the drought has knocked three-quarters to 1 per cent off the country's growth as a whole.

And now the government is reaching for desperate measures. Australia's Prime Minister, John Howard, has announced there may be a ban on the use of the country's largest river system for irrigation unless there is significant rainfall over the next two months. The government is preparing to wrest regulatory control of the Murray and Darling rivers from the five states through which they run to ensure that water is reserved for urban drinking supplies and farmers' domestic use.

The Murray-Darling river basin has been called Australia's "food bowl". It generates about 40 per cent of the country's farm produce. If this tract of land - the size of France and Spain combined - is denied irrigation it would spell ruin for Australia's agricultural sector. Thousands of farmers could lose their citrus, almond and olive trees if they cannot be watered. Trees would die and production would be impossible for at least half a decade. Even if the rains do come in Australia in the coming weeks, as forecast, they will have to be especially long and prolonged to alleviate the crisis.

Moreover, this is a taste of things to come - not just for Australia, but the world. As the latest report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes clear, the runaway warming of the earth will bring severe drought in its wake. And the economic consequences will be disastrous. Sir Nicholas Stern's report for the Treasury outlined last year how climate change could be as economically traumatic as the Great Depression or the world wars of the 20th century.

Link: http://comment.independent.co.uk/leading_a...icle2465904.ece

What has this article got to do with Holden? Is it simply because it happens to be news from the same continent. It shows as much logic as posting articles about the VT shootings in the Pontiac forum. After all, those are both about things from the same country.

I've had enough of your psychological hatred for all things Australian. Just what is your problem? Are you trying to compensate for the fact that Pontiac has forgotten how to build a RWD sedan, and needs help from the only GM division that kept the V8 and RWD flame alive?

[Oracle of Delphi]

What has this article got to do with Holden? Is it simply because it happens to be news from the same continent. It shows as much logic as posting articles about the VT shootings in the Pontiac forum. After all, those are both about things from the same country.

I've had enough of your psychological hatred for all things Australian. Just what is your problem? Are you trying to compensate for the fact that Pontiac has forgotten how to build a RWD sedan, and needs help from the only GM division that kept the V8 and RWD flame alive?

I don't hate all things Australian, I'm there quite often as a matter of fact. Holden is not a division of GM, it's a subsidiary. You did see I put JK in the title, that stands for Just Kidding. I was undecided as to where to put it, I thought it was interesting news with the debate about global warming swirling around the world. I decided to put it here since most North Americans would see how it relates to Australia and not Austria which is in Europe.

G'Day Mate

Edited April 22, 2007 by Pontiac Custom-S

[FAPTurbo]

It's getting to be a dire situation, especially for some members in my family, who are nowhere near a water line, and use rain-water/river-water for their use.

[Jamie]

You may have seen it as a joke, but over here it is no joke.

There are already businesses that rely on water that are going or have gone bankrupt. My sister has a cattle ranch. It's cost her a small fortune to ensure that they have sufficient water. A few years ago she spent 1/4 million dollars to have a 1 mile deep well drilled, and the water shortage then was nowhere near as bad as it is now. She has since sold that ranch, and they spent another small fortune on the new ranch setting up massive rain water storage tanks around the house and farm sheds to collect the maximum of what small amount of rain they get.

Where I am, we are currently at Stage 5 water restrictions (Outdoor sprinklers and hoses banned;, watering with watering can or bucket at severely restricted times on alternate days; some indoor water use restrictions;, topping up of household pools prohibited, washing of personal vehicles prohibited, target consumption of 140 litres per person per day, high volume users penalised), and they are discussing going to a more severe Level 6 restrictions if the winter rains don't do any good. I'm doing my bit, and my water usage over the last 3 months has averaged less than 80 litres/day.

If you'd mentioned that Adelaide, the state capital of South Australia (the Holden plant is located in the northern Adelaide suburb of Elizabeth) has less than 40 days of water left, then it would have been fine left in the Holden section.

[zetaman]

You may have seen it as a joke, but over here it is no joke.

There are already businesses that rely on water that are going or have gone bankrupt. My sister has a cattle ranch. It's cost her a small fortune to ensure that they have sufficient water. A few years ago she spent 1/4 million dollars to have a 1 mile deep well drilled, and the water shortage then was nowhere near as bad as it is now. She has since sold that ranch, and they spent another small fortune on the new ranch setting up massive rain water storage tanks around the house and farm sheds to collect the maximum of what small amount of rain they get.

Where I am, we are currently at Stage 5 water restrictions (Outdoor sprinklers and hoses banned;, watering with watering can or bucket at severely restricted times on alternate days; some indoor water use restrictions;, topping up of household pools prohibited, washing of personal vehicles prohibited, target consumption of 140 litres per person per day, high volume users penalised), and they are discussing going to a more severe Level 6 restrictions if the winter rains don't do any good. I'm doing my bit, and my water usage over the last 3 months has averaged less than 80 litres/day.

If you'd mentioned that Adelaide, the state capital of South Australia (the Holden plant is located in the northern Adelaide suburb of Elizabeth) has less than 40 days of water left, then it would have been fine left in the Holden section.

Well said, James. It is inappropriate to make light of such an issue as one that affects the livelihood of so many people. Giving PCS the benefit of the doubt, he may just be ignorant and naiive of the facts of this matter and the seriousnes of the impact the drought has had on so many Australians.

[RichW5]

JamesB ..... Sorry to hear about your sisters ranch. The American southwest is currently experiencing a precipitation (rain) shortage, similar to, but not as critical as the one in Australia. There has been talk of a return to the "dust bowl" conditions of the 1930's.

I don't know whether this is the result of global warming or just part of the weather cycles our planet goes through in it's excentric orbit around the sun.

Whatever the cause, I feel sorry for the people affect by this drought, more than I feel the need to blame someone, like the global warming people.

I believe the people of Australia, much like the people of our southwest, are strong and will work hard to find solutions to the drought. Our countries have a strong kinship, so I wish you well, for your sister and the people of Australia.