Climate News

Qantas international flights offer a huge selection of entertainment options, including audio books.  In scanning the list, we noticed that Tim Flannery's The Weathermakers was listed -- in the fiction section.  Also in the non-fiction offerings.  All perspectives honored I guess.  The headlines and conversations along the way tell a different story.   Here's a  selection

Researchers have reported on finding a gene that can make plants more drought tolerant.

The federal government intends to move away from disaster relief for drought stricken farmers to an approach based on risk management.  Farmers will need to change practices in response.

In the Blue Mountains towns, where water is pumped up the mountain from Sydney's main water supply reservoir, most toilets we saw were dual flush, or even composting toilets at the lodge we stayed at.  All new development must have roof catchment water systems, and the government provides generous subsidies for retrofits of existing buildings.

Adelaide currently harvests stormwater, and is planning to expand their system by a factor of 3 to 20 billion liters a year.  The water will be used for parks and playing fields.

And Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is an outspoken and forthright leader on climate change issues, and is working to get various alt energy facilities - ocean wave, solar, geothermal and others - funded and built.  

Perth weather is very reminiscent of SF, temperate, with a nice afternoon breeze.  King's Park, a large park and botanical garden right next to downtown, is a jewel, with fine views, beautiful plantings.  I am now drowning in a tsunami of botanical Latin, new common names, and the bizarre life forms those names catalogue.  Tree names include yarri, karri, marri, and jarrah, and there are many tingle trees too.  It feels like another planet.  Even what I thought were familiar genera, like acacia, got here, and became something unrecognizable over time.   This little corner of the continent has, if I have the numbers right, some multiple of species more than CA, and in a much smaller area.  Where's my life preserver?