- Joined
- Jan 11, 2005
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I'm curious, with climate change being so much in the zeitgeist these days (as it should be) if you have had significant changes where you live?
There certainly have been in Australia. We are suffering our worst drought in many, many years. Farmers are really struggling, and are being helped out by the government now to a huge degree - their crops are suffering, their livestock are dying. There is just NO rain. Summers are getting hotter and much more humid, and winters drier and warmer during the day, and freezing cold at night.
We have water restrictions now, that are so extreme in some parts of Australia that you are now not allowed to water your lawn AT ALL - unless it is with a bucket. There are sprinkler restrictions in Perth, where I live, and websites, advertising and public education on how to save water. We time our showers, don't flush the toilet for number ones
and are starting to take out lawn and put in native plants that require less watering. The Water Authority in Perth is spending billions on desalination plants and new processes to manufacture more water, and it's not enough.
Our dam capacities are at less than 30 percent after winter! Very scary - and Perth has had 0.6mm of rain so far this summer, compared to the summer rainfall average of 34mm. It's even worse in Melbourne and in Queensland. We are a desert climate in Perth so we're used to a little less rain, but it's just extreme at the moment.
The water situation here is dire, but also our seasons are changing, too. It's the middle of summer today and it's raining. Trust me - no one's complaining about that! We need it so desperately, but it's just strange. And two days ago it was 34 degrees (94F).
It's weird and scary.
What's happening where you are?
There certainly have been in Australia. We are suffering our worst drought in many, many years. Farmers are really struggling, and are being helped out by the government now to a huge degree - their crops are suffering, their livestock are dying. There is just NO rain. Summers are getting hotter and much more humid, and winters drier and warmer during the day, and freezing cold at night.
We have water restrictions now, that are so extreme in some parts of Australia that you are now not allowed to water your lawn AT ALL - unless it is with a bucket. There are sprinkler restrictions in Perth, where I live, and websites, advertising and public education on how to save water. We time our showers, don't flush the toilet for number ones
Our dam capacities are at less than 30 percent after winter! Very scary - and Perth has had 0.6mm of rain so far this summer, compared to the summer rainfall average of 34mm. It's even worse in Melbourne and in Queensland. We are a desert climate in Perth so we're used to a little less rain, but it's just extreme at the moment.
The water situation here is dire, but also our seasons are changing, too. It's the middle of summer today and it's raining. Trust me - no one's complaining about that! We need it so desperately, but it's just strange. And two days ago it was 34 degrees (94F).
It's weird and scary.