Interesting article in the Times today about the drought in Australia.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...280190,00.html

Scary bit at the end with some scientist's suggestion that Perth will be doomed within 10 years. :scared:

G

Theres always one scientist trying to get his name in the papers, think back ten years and look how the world has changed since then, ten years on will see another monsterous change, and problems like those listed will be overcome.

The problem is that its not just one scientist trying to get his name in the papers. Climate change a global issue and not one to go away lightly. Australia suffers badly because of the already extreme conditions. Perth is geographically not well off in these climate change stakes.

Have a look at the BOM for the statistics on the effects in Australia by region. Whilst I doubt that any particular major city may be doomed, the country will have to move to a different model of water management. Already the PM has mooted grey water usage and recycling, something which has very much been frowned upon in the past. Desalination plants and other sources of water for irrigation must be used.

Couple that with the fact that we are depleting oil and gas reserves, one thing is for sure that Australia has interesting years ahead of it. No great comfort to those struggling with the one of the side effects of our scientific developments over the years aka global climate change.

Well entire south of England will vanish under water in a few hundred years so doesn't look safe anywhere does it lol, think everyone should move to scotland just to be safe!!!! :scared:

At least we wouldn't think we could win the world cup

Quite a lightweight observation for such a heavyweight newspaper.... Is the 'broadsheet' press being dumbed down!!

They said this 100yrs ago

Said Hanrahan
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan
In accents most forlorn
Outside the church ere Mass began
One frosty Sunday morn.
The congregation stood about,
Coat collars to the ears,
And talked of stock and crops and drought
As it had done for years.

"It's looking crook," said Daniel Croke;
"Bedad, it's cruke, me lad,
For never since the banks went broke
Has seasons been so bad."

"It's dry, all right," said young O'Neil,
With which astute remark
He squatted down upon his heel
And chewed a piece of bark.

And so around the chorus ran
"It's keepin' dry, no doubt."
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"Before the year is out."

"The crops are done; ye'll have your work
To save one bag of grain;
From here way out to Back-o'-Bourke
They're singin' out for rain.

"They're singin' out for rain," he said,
"And all the tanks are dry."
The congregation scratched its head,
And gazed around the sky.

"There won't be grass, in any case,
Enough to feed an ass;
There's not a blade on Casey's place
As I came down to Mass."

"If rain don't come this month," said Dan,
And cleared his throat to speak -
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"If rain don't come this week."

A heavy silence seemed to steal
On all at this remark;
And each man squatted on his heel,
And chewed a piece of bark.

"We want an inch of rain, we do,"
O'Neil observed at last;
But Croke 'maintained' we wanted two
To put the danger past.

"If we don't get three inches, man,
Or four to break this drought,
We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"Before the year is out."

In God's good time down came the rain;
And all the afternoon
On iron roof and window-pane
It drummed a homely tune.

And through the night it pattered still,
And lightsome, gladsome elves
On dripping spout and window-sill
Kept talking to themselves.

It pelted, pelted all day long,
A-singing at its work,
Till every heart took up the song
Way out to Back-o'-Bourke.

And every creek a banker ran,
And dams filled overtop;
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"If this rain doesn't stop."

And stop it did, in God's good time:
And spring came in to fold
A mantle o'er the hills sublime
Of green and pink and gold.

And days went by on dancing feet,
With harvest-hopes immense,
And laughing eyes beheld the wheat
Nid-nodding o'er the fence.

And, oh, the smiles on every face,
As happy lad and lass
Through grass knee-deep on Casey's place
Went riding down to Mass.

While round the church in clothes genteel
Discoursed the men of mark,
And each man squatted on his heel,
And chewed his piece of bark.

"There'll be bush-fires for sure, me man,
There will, without a doubt;
We'll all be rooned,"said Hanrahan,
"Before the year is out."

P. J. Hartigan ('John O'Brien')

Back to
........................................ mm

Wonder if this will bring the house prices down?

Not sure why the OP chose to focus on Perth's plight when the report says most areas will suffer???

To put the article in context - Perth currently doesn't have any water restrictions like not washing cars or using the retic (twice a week allowed) that other places have had in recent years.

In a few months a brand new desalination plant comes on line in Kwinana and there are plans either to build another one or even use canals / barges to bring water down from the Kimberley. We don't even recycle waste water in treatment plants yet.

The issue at the moment is we have been having a dry winter and what rain we have had is avoiding the farmland areas. But the rains seem to have arrived now. Australia is a hot country and periods of drought are just one of those things that happen from time to time.

It wasn't a case of focussing on Perth. The whole article raises a few concerns.

However Perth is specifically mentioned as being at particular risk hence the title of the thread.

G

No...after all you can get short term mortgages

G

PMSL

No English person seriously thinks that do they