Is Australia’s Continued Warming and Drought a Global Warning About Global Warming?
Posted: Friday, July 13, 2007
by Ben Jones
Too-Write!
Global Warming: Australia's Warning
Here in Australia, we have seen a significant shift in the weather patterns with less frequent rain and more severe storms. As the inhabited continent with the least rainfall each year we can certainly vouch for the merits of water conservation, especially now that we are looking at a very dry future.
Global warming is a fact and Australia has seen the evidence firsthand with seven years of the worst droughts on recorded history. Our water catchment areas, designed to cater for double our current population, have been as low as 20% capacity. With up to 95% of the country now under severe drought warnings and farmers leaving the land in droves because they can't make a living, it's a grim warning for the rest of the world. People the globe over need to become more aware of how precious water is and how important water conservation has become for everyone's future.
The earth while covered in nearly 70% water has very little fresh drinkable water. In fact only 2% of all the water on Earth is drinkable and of that, much of it is currently frozen at the polar caps, locked underground or is found in plants, animals and people (we are over 65% water). Amazingly, with a seeming abundance of water on Earth, as little as 0.036% of the planet's total water supply is found in fresh water lakes and rivers.
When you think about it, we are an incredibly wasteful and short-sighted society, using a precious resource for convenience and as a luxury item when in fact it's a necessity of life!
We shower with water, we flush our toilets with it, wash the pavement, our car, our dog, our dishes and our clothes with it. No, I'm not saying go without showers for weeks on end (Brad Pitt), I'm simply suggesting we should make sure the dish washer is full before we hit "start", that we reduce the length of our showers, a minute each will make a huge difference, that we install rainwater tanks and use grey water to water our lawns and gardens.
Simple things can make a big difference to the amount of water we use and consume. If everyone remembers that it is drinking water they are using each time they turn the faucet (tap in Australia) then we just might stop taking it for granted.
Here are some more important tips for water conservation:
- Install water-saving showerheads and don't brush your teeth in the shower (if you're really keen, try a 5 minute timer/alarm)
- Water your garden in the early mornings or evening rather than the heat of the day when much of the water is lost in evaporation
- Turn the water off while you brush your teeth or shave
- Check for leaking pipes by turning everything off, note the meter reading then check it again in an hour
- Fix leaking faucets and pipes straight away, don't put it off
- Choose water conscious appliances; washing machines and dishwashers come in all varieties and some are more efficient than others
- Spread the word about water conservation to friends and family
- Put a brick in your toilet cistern to reduce the water used or attach a weight to the flush lever so you have to hold the button down for longer flushes
Read another of my articles on global warming: The solution and answer to Global Warming is Compromise.
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Top-level comments on this article: (6 total)You give some very good tips on preserving water Ben. However I believe very few reading your article will heed to your suggestions. Most people refuse to see global warming as a fact only fiction. "I agree with you"Thanks for your response on my article David and for your rating. I agree, there still seems to be so much opposition to what is now accepted as fact throughout the scientific community. For so long there was a small but highly vocal and publicised group of scientists that declared global warming as a non-issue. Incredibly it has now been shown that these same scientists were funded by companies like Exxon-Mobile, who have a huge vested interest in ensuring that measures are not taken to stop Global Warming. Talk about marketing spin, meanwhile the environment is in a downward spin of its own! Yet still there seems remarkably little reaction from people in general to this sort of information, much of the collective fire in our bellies that ran through the sixties and seventies sparking social change and improved reforms seems to have gone out. I despair sometimes at the seeming total "social lethargy" that grips us all. Just in the last few weeks scientists have reached newer and stronger consensuses that global warming is increasing the destructive power of hurricanes by as much as one half of one full category on the one to five scale typically used by forecasters. So in Florida a hurricane hitting in the future that would have been a category three in the past, will on average become a category four hurricane. I am starting to believe that by the time everyone realizes just how important this issue is, it may well be too late to do anything about it!
Ben, living in the country as I do seems to bring the possibility of water-shortage to a more profound realization. We are all on "well water" and just last week my neighbor came down and said, "I think my well has gone dry!" I haven't spoke to him again, so I'm not sure if his well actually did dry up or if he was just having pump problems--it's still a scary thought that water could become as precious a commodity as gasoline! Good article.Sandra, thanks for your comments and the good points you make. Our farmers here in Australia have been highlighting global warming, the risk of droughts and seasonal change for years. They've been asking for and receiving only minimal assistance even though the drought has been going on for years. It just seems like there is a divide between country and city and it is in some ways unfortunate that all our politicians seem to live in the cities where they can turn a blind eye and deaf ear to the warnings coming from the people in the country. I hope your neighbours well isn't dry because that doesn't bode well for everyone else in your area including you and your family!
Ben, I'm in agreement with David and Sandra, a very good article about an important topic that each of us should take seriously. I prefer brushing in the shower but when I don't, I will wait to turn the water on at the sink. Your water conservation ideas stirred a memory from my distant past. I used to be a substitute teacher in Science for the middle school. Covering this topic was one that caused me to be more conservative with water. It's amazing how teaching something, especially to kids, can make one feel guilty if you don't practice what you teach. :)Avis, thank you for your comment and insight into your experiences with teaching kids, I'm sure that was rewarding in many ways! I know that all of us could improve if we were honest with ourselves, but sadly it seems that most of us just can't be bothered. I'm guilty of this myself, it was only recently that I started putting my tips in this article into action. However I can honestly say that it has been very easy to do, is saving me money on water and that I feel positive about the changes I am creating in my life. I hope everyone tries at least a few of the above tips for 21 days (that's meant to be how long it takes to break a bad habit and make a change stick!) Give it a try, you might like that warm glow you get from making a positive change and plus you'll save yourself some money! *smile*
Yes, I agree whole heartedly. We are very wasteful with the world's resources, especially in the developed world. I try to keep my water usage down to a minimum and am slowly replacing my plants with drought tough specimens. I use grey water, have reduced my shower time, only do full loads in the dishwasher and washing machine and have buckets in the shower to catch the cold water which comes through before the hot water. I no longer wash vegetables under a running tap but use a plastic dish of water, which I then throw on the garden (the water, not the dish). There are many things we can do, and if everyone did only one of them to start with, it would make a huge difference. Thanks for a timely article, Ben. Well done.Hannah, thank you for your response to my article and for the extra tips and suggestions. Good work on the things you are already doing! Yes I agree, implementing just one change in our daily lives each makes a huge difference; small steps can lead to a long journey.
Great article, need more sort of information like this so people become aware of just how much of a treat GW is!
errr I mean threat :)Thanks Lacy, I agree, I'd love to see more articles, information and people out spreading the word! Regards, Ben.
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