Water groups have labelled an easing of water restrictions in South Australia and Victoria as “political opportunism”, as disquiet grows over the delayed construction and cost blowouts of desalination plants.
Drought
A drought affected farmer goes to Canberra
Farmer Rob Lennon went to Canberra to talk to Agriculture Minister Tony Burke about how the drought is affecting his farm.
Dear Tony: despite the rain, farmers still need your help
Crikey reader and farmer Rob Lennon pens another open letter to Agriculture Minister Tony Burke: even with the rain, farms and farmers still need urgent assistance.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: To filter or not to filter, that is the Conroy
Good old internet filtering. The only subject that fires Crikey readers up more than climate change.
An open letter on behalf of drought-affected farmers
Crikey reader and farmer Ron Lennon pens an open letter to Agriculture Minister Tony Burke: farms and farmers need assistance now.
Feeling hungry? Great Britain faces a food shortage
We need to produce more food in the next 50 years than we did in the last 5,000, on less land with less water, less fertiliser and fewer green house gases, say experts. Are we facing a potential global food crisis?
The Washington Post meets Australia’s climate sceptic farmers
WashPo leaves the bright lights of DC for the Murray River town of Swan Reach in South Australia, where drought-ravaged farmers refuse to buy in to the idea of global warming.
Life in an empty basin
While scientists fret about a future world without water, for the people of the Murray Darling Basin, it is already a way of life. Meet the communities who have literally been left high and dry.
Tear up your lawn
Running out of water is a big deal, says Matthew Fleischer, far more important than having a green lawn for Summer. It’s time for a great Maoist lawn purge: let a thousand flowers wilt.
Dead cattle put Kenya at the brink of national disaster
Years of drought sweeping across Kenya’s plains have placed the country at a critical stage. Four million Kenyans are on food aid, yet a blotched government plan has resulted in hundreds of dead cattle.
Once-in-a-century floods, drought and fire. Again.
Cherry-picking extreme weather events weakens your case, but both sides do it shamelessly in the climate debate, writes Frank Campbell.
Drought and GFC cause a hangover for wine industry
Poor rainfall combined with a shrinking export market is leading many Australian wine growers to abandon their vineyards, with an industry body estimating 2000 growers will be forced off their farms over the next two years
Get ready for another El Niño
Meteorologists say a new El Niño has begun and may result in 2010 being one of the hottest years on record.
Drought in California means shaved heads
The drought in California’s Central Valley is so severe that it’s drying up money for haircuts.
Political snippets: The ABS make the experts look stupid
ABS makes retail experts look foolish, Labor spinners paint Kevin Rudd as Robin Hood and heavy security for major European poll — Eurovision 2009.
The ethical cost of gardens
Maintaining even a humble garden can be a guilt-wracking experience in these times of drought and climate change.
Murray River a toxic open drain – why don’t we care?
How did this become okay? Asks the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Comments, corrections, clarifications, and c*ckups
Paul Keating … the Beijing Olympics … Facebook … water buybacks … Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn …
Time for Wong to come clean on the Coorong
Is there enough water in the Murray Darling to save the Coorong? No one - least of all Penny Wong — knows for sure, writes Bernard Keane.
Richard Farmer’s political bite-sized meaty chunks
Too much air time makes Barack an unpopular man, note to Kev.
Food costs continue to grow
The drought continues to have an impact on a growing number of Australian companies, most notably Australasia’s biggest food group, Goodman Fielder, writes Glenn Dyer.
Blainey buckets the “one in a hundred year” hype
Bureaucrats, scientists, special interest groups and academics keen on making a dollar from disaster have discovered a new scam lately. They’ve started warning of “one in a hundred year” events – droughts, floods and fires. Unfortunately, one of our leading historians has come along to rain on the drought.
