An Australia Question   - Sunday, June 22, 2008

To many it seems strange that Australia is ranked as the second most wasteful country on the earth, this for a country that trades so ostensibly on the vast array of natural wonders on its continent. Why such a nation with threatened ecosystems such as the Great Barrier Reef and Kakadu National Park should shun the Kyoto Protocol, whilst all other western states save the U.S.A sign up seems rather odd.

One possible reason is that Australia is so vast and pressure on land and natural resources has always been slight, the only real problem save a few cyclones here and there has been the unpredictability of the rainfall year on year. People have had the room to expand, natural resources pour out of the earth and exported globally, bringing huge tax revenues for the government to spread around the nation, keeping tax on essentials such as fuel and day to day goods far lower than other Western nations, meaning that Mr. average Joe Public has more cash in the back pocket to spend each month, even with the current rise in global oil prices. The fact that the average family tends to do their weekly shopping and school runs in either a four litre Ford Falcon or Holden Commodore speaks volumes about the cost of living, as well as hinting towards the attitude towards the climate.

Things however are changing. The run of recent winters with well below average rainfall and hot fiery summers has led to alarm bells ringing, not just out on the bleached corals on the Barrier Reef, but in virtually every state of the nation where agriculture has been hammered for many consecutive years. Every time there's a soaking on farmland it makes the national press, such is the relief that it brings.

One of the focal points of concern is the Murray Darling Basin, a massive catchment area of land stretching over parts of South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT, covering 1/7^th of Australia. This area, the breadbasket of the nation is under threat due to significantly reduced rainfall, this in an area where rainfall usually averages between 200-500mm a year. Much of the farmland is irrigated by rivers such as the Murray and its tributaries, with the vast majority of the systems water being used in agriculture rather than being allowed to run its course.

Due to the lack of water in the system, the mouth of the River Murry near Goolwa in South Australia would have completely closed if it wasn't for continuous dredging of the channel, this would lead to the destruction of some major wildlife areas such as the Coorong National Park.

These major issues have put climate change right on the agenda, people are no longer so complacent. The Koyoto protocol is now a campaign issue, and funding is being channeled into wind and solar power. The conditions in much of Australia are so conducive to solar energy that it shouldn't be long before Australia becomes a forerunner in this technology, so long as significant investment is made in the right places to the right people. Recent government decisions on rebates for Solar Installations have somewhat put a dampener on things but hopefully this will be reinstated.

If the current awareness continuous to grow, with environmental issues becoming a major mark on the political landscape, then there is likely to be a major shift in the political thinking, which can only be a benefit for the environment, the pressure just has to be maintained on those that make the decisions.