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Horrific bushfires are burning across Australia, charring some 15 million acres and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate.

For a country at the front lines of climate change, the fires and drought, linked phenomena in a drying land, are a worrisome glimpse at a potential future.

Blazes in the states of Victoria and New South Wales burned homes and trapped tourists on beaches. The ecological damage is severe. Uncontrolled fires have killed untold numbers of forest animals, including koalas, birds, and reptiles.

The bushfires are also a testament to terrifying heat and aridity. In recent weeks Australians witnessed the hottest day on record in their country as temperatures spiked above 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Rivers and reservoirs are dry and rural communities are relying on trucked-in water. For a country at the front lines of climate change, the fires and drought, linked phenomena in a drying land, are a worrisome glimpse at a potential future.

Wildfires are sweeping across large swathes of drought-stricken Australia. Satellite observation by NASA. December 27, 2019- January 3, 2020. Click image for an interactive map.

Australia, Your Country Is Burning – Dangerous Climate Change Is Here With You Now

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January 7, 2020
The continent of Australia is figuratively – and in some sense literally – on fire.
https://i0.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/WhatsApp-Image-2020-01-02-at-7.15.13-PM.jpeg?fit=2048%2C1536&ssl=1 1536 2048 Circle Blue https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Circle Blue2020-01-07 09:14:202020-01-07 15:12:53Australia, Your Country Is Burning – Dangerous Climate Change Is Here With You Now

South of Bateman’s Bay, NSW. Images courtesy of Isobel and Nicholas Davis © Dec 31, 2019.

Rainfall deficits in the Murray-Darling watershed over the last 32 months are the worst on record. Graphic courtesy of the Bureau of Meteorology

Australia Coverage

Australia, Your Country Is Burning – Dangerous Climate Change Is Here With You Now

0 Comments
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January 7, 2020
The continent of Australia is figuratively – and in some sense literally – on fire.
https://i0.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/WhatsApp-Image-2020-01-02-at-7.15.13-PM.jpeg?fit=2048%2C1536&ssl=1 1536 2048 Circle Blue https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Circle Blue2020-01-07 09:14:202020-01-07 15:12:53Australia, Your Country Is Burning – Dangerous Climate Change Is Here With You Now

HotSpots H2O: Bushfires Raze Parts of Eastern Australia as Government Quarrels over Climate Change

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November 18, 2019
Devastating wildfires are sweeping across large swathes of Australia’s drought-stricken eastern coast, heralding what is likely to be a long and unforgiving bushfire season. 
https://i2.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Bush_fire_at_Captain_Creek_central_Queensland_Australia.-1650x1238.jpg?fit=1600%2C1200&ssl=1 1200 1600 Kayla Ritter https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Kayla Ritter2019-11-18 00:01:432020-01-03 13:45:38HotSpots H2O: Bushfires Raze Parts of Eastern Australia as Government Quarrels over Climate Change

In Australia, Echoes of Past, Glimpses of Future As Country Braces for Hot, Dry Summer

0 Comments
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September 25, 2019
A record-breaking drought is pushing rural communities in New South Wales and Queensland to the breaking point.
https://i2.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/2008-12-Australia-Murray-Darling-JGanterIMG_1340-2500.jpg?fit=2400%2C1600&ssl=1 1600 2400 Brett Walton https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Brett Walton2019-09-25 05:00:142020-01-03 13:45:57In Australia, Echoes of Past, Glimpses of Future As Country Braces for Hot, Dry Summer

What Cape Town can learn from Australia’s millennium drought

https://i0.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4256.jpg?fit=1300%2C780&ssl=1 780 1300 Circle Blue https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Circle Blue2018-02-07 12:48:532020-01-03 13:46:46What Cape Town can learn from Australia’s millennium drought

Algae Overtake Australia's Murray River

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April 21, 2016
Bloom of blue-green algae covers hundreds of kilometers of water in New South Wales and Victoria.
https://i2.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/2008-12-Australia-Murray-Darling-JCGanter-IMG_5976-e1461244970427.jpg?fit=1496%2C630&ssl=1 630 1496 Codi Kozacek https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Codi Kozacek2016-04-21 06:00:152020-01-03 13:47:08Algae Overtake Australia's Murray River

Australia Coal Mines Prompt Concerns about Groundwater and Climate

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November 5, 2015
Mining Queensland’s ample coal seams will require a lot of…
https://i1.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Australia-449.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1 667 1000 Brett Walton https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Brett Walton2015-11-05 14:14:002020-01-03 13:47:28Australia Coal Mines Prompt Concerns about Groundwater and Climate

Water Buyback Limit Proposed for Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin

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June 3, 2015
Legislation would redirect the flow of money for water-saving projects.
https://i0.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/australia_jcganter_img_6568-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C569&ssl=1 569 1000 Brett Walton https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Brett Walton2015-06-03 16:30:332020-01-03 13:47:54Water Buyback Limit Proposed for Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin

Australia Disbands National Water Commission

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May 16, 2014
The water advisory group is a casualty of sharp cuts to the Commonwealth’s…
https://i1.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2238308945_ef2782bc96_z.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1 480 640 Codi Kozacek https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Codi Kozacek2014-05-16 16:30:172020-01-03 13:48:35Australia Disbands National Water Commission

Australian State Considers Selling Its Biggest Water Assets, Built During Drought Panic

3 Comments
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April 4, 2014
Queensland’s rush to build desalination and recycled water…
https://i1.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2008-12-Australia-Murray-Darling-JCGanter-IMG_6520.jpg?fit=2400%2C1600&ssl=1 1600 2400 Brett Walton https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Brett Walton2014-04-04 14:55:472020-01-03 20:02:26Australian State Considers Selling Its Biggest Water Assets, Built During Drought Panic

‘Transformational’ Water Reforms, Though Wrenching, Helped Australia Endure Historic Drought, Experts Say

2 Comments
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March 19, 2014
California, in the third year of its worst drought ever, faces challenges similar to those of Australia. A panel of water policy experts and Circle of Blue journalists questioned whether the nation’s most populous state has the resolve to enact similar reforms.
https://i0.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/menindeelakelevels_big.jpg?fit=600%2C431&ssl=1 431 600 Brett Walton https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Brett Walton2014-03-19 08:34:282020-01-03 13:49:11‘Transformational’ Water Reforms, Though Wrenching, Helped Australia Endure Historic Drought, Experts Say

Report: Australia’s Groundwater Is Worth Billions

1 Comment
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November 12, 2013
A new study finds that Australia’s groundwater contributes more to GDP than some industries.
https://i2.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/2238308701_352aa6dd4c_z.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1 480 640 Codi Kozacek https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Codi Kozacek2013-11-12 14:53:452020-01-03 13:49:33Report: Australia’s Groundwater Is Worth Billions

The Biggest Dry

Australia’s Epic Drought is a Global Warning

The brutal Australian drought has emerged as “The Biggest Dry.” This is no mere statement of hyperbole, scientists tell us. It’s what happens when a nation purposefully designed to use an enormous amount of water collides with a hotter and dryer climate that produces much less rain.

The Biggest Dry is not only a global warning, it is a test of an industrial society’s ability to cope with new and dangerous conditions that threaten its ability to survive

Read the Lead Story

Featured Stories

Idea Central: Collaborative Solutions to SE Australia's Water Crisis

https://i0.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/ideal-central-290-1.jpg?fit=414%2C300&ssl=1 300 414 Nadya Ivanova https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Nadya Ivanova2009-10-20 10:26:092016-01-21 11:03:21Idea Central: Collaborative Solutions to SE Australia's Water Crisis

Fire Hot, Sky Blue, Australia's Dire Drought Tests Journalists

https://i1.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/2008-12-Australia-Murray-Darling-JCGanter-IMG_2179-e1455720235920.jpg?fit=1600%2C648&ssl=1 648 1600 Nadya Ivanova https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Nadya Ivanova2009-06-04 10:25:492016-03-10 14:39:33Fire Hot, Sky Blue, Australia's Dire Drought Tests Journalists

The Biggest Dry

https://i1.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/2008-12-Australia-Murray-Darling-JCGanter-IMG_2364-1.jpg?fit=1600%2C1067&ssl=1 1067 1600 Keith Schneider https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Keith Schneider2009-03-09 21:00:512020-01-07 11:34:07The Biggest Dry

Australia's Food Bowl, Like The World's, Is Drying Up

https://i2.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/billgread-1.jpg?fit=393%2C300&ssl=1 300 393 Keith Schneider https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Keith Schneider2009-03-09 20:59:092016-03-16 11:25:46Australia's Food Bowl, Like The World's, Is Drying Up

A Rice Town’s Cry

https://i1.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/2008-12-Australia-Murray-Darling-JCGanter-IMG_1679-e1455722991856.jpg?fit=1600%2C584&ssl=1 584 1600 Keith Schneider https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Keith Schneider2009-03-09 20:58:422016-03-10 14:37:26A Rice Town’s Cry

An Elder’s Prayer for The River

https://i1.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/2008-12-Australia-Murray-Darling-JCGanter-IMG_7398.jpg?fit=1600%2C1067&ssl=1 1067 1600 Keith Schneider https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Keith Schneider2009-03-09 20:02:442016-03-10 14:39:21An Elder’s Prayer for The River

Here’s Something New in Australia: A Plan That Takes Water from Agriculture

https://i0.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/2008-12-Australia-Murray-Darling-JCGanter-IMG_1343.jpg?fit=1600%2C1067&ssl=1 1067 1600 Keith Schneider https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Keith Schneider2009-03-09 18:53:122016-03-10 14:37:06Here’s Something New in Australia: A Plan That Takes Water from Agriculture

Behind Curtain of Fire, A Land Disfigured By Man and Drought

https://i2.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/gregogle-1.jpg?fit=894%2C300&ssl=1 300 894 Keith Schneider https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Keith Schneider2009-03-09 14:09:592016-03-10 14:39:18Behind Curtain of Fire, A Land Disfigured By Man and Drought

Biggest Dry Photo Gallery

Videos

Idea Central: Collaborative Solutions to SE Australia's Water Crisis

https://i0.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/ideal-central-290-1.jpg?fit=414%2C300&ssl=1 300 414 Nadya Ivanova https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Nadya Ivanova2009-10-20 10:26:092016-01-21 11:03:21Idea Central: Collaborative Solutions to SE Australia's Water Crisis

Fire Hot, Sky Blue, Australia's Dire Drought Tests Journalists

https://i1.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/2008-12-Australia-Murray-Darling-JCGanter-IMG_2179-e1455720235920.jpg?fit=1600%2C648&ssl=1 648 1600 Nadya Ivanova https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Nadya Ivanova2009-06-04 10:25:492016-03-10 14:39:33Fire Hot, Sky Blue, Australia's Dire Drought Tests Journalists

The Biggest Dry

https://i1.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/2008-12-Australia-Murray-Darling-JCGanter-IMG_2364-1.jpg?fit=1600%2C1067&ssl=1 1067 1600 Keith Schneider https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Keith Schneider2009-03-09 21:00:512020-01-07 11:34:07The Biggest Dry

Australia's Food Bowl, Like The World's, Is Drying Up

https://i2.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/billgread-1.jpg?fit=393%2C300&ssl=1 300 393 Keith Schneider https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Keith Schneider2009-03-09 20:59:092016-03-16 11:25:46Australia's Food Bowl, Like The World's, Is Drying Up

A Rice Town’s Cry

https://i1.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/2008-12-Australia-Murray-Darling-JCGanter-IMG_1679-e1455722991856.jpg?fit=1600%2C584&ssl=1 584 1600 Keith Schneider https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Keith Schneider2009-03-09 20:58:422016-03-10 14:37:26A Rice Town’s Cry

An Elder’s Prayer for The River

https://i1.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/2008-12-Australia-Murray-Darling-JCGanter-IMG_7398.jpg?fit=1600%2C1067&ssl=1 1067 1600 Keith Schneider https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Keith Schneider2009-03-09 20:02:442016-03-10 14:39:21An Elder’s Prayer for The River

Credits and Acknowledgements

Helpful Links

Agriculture and Irrigation

Ag Force
Australian Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology
Canberra Organic Growers Society
Council of Grain Grower Organisations
Grains Council of Australia
Irrigation Australia
La Trobe University, Department of Agricultural Sciences
National Farmers Federation
New South Wales Farmers Association
NSW Irrigators’ Council
Rice Growers Association of Australia
South Australian Farmer’s Federation
Wheat Exports Australia

Climate Change

Climate Ark
Climate Change, Catchment Runoff and Risks to Water Supply in the South-West of Western Austraila
Climate Change in Australia
Climate Change & Water in Australia
Drought Statements – “A dry February for southern Australia”
Future Climate Change in Australia “Hotter summers, fewer frosts for Australia”
Living with Climate Change – An Overview of Potential Climate Change Impacts on Australia
World Economic Forum Water Initiative

Indigenous Links

Australian Museum Online – Indigenous Australia – Creation Story told by Beryl Carmicheal
Koori Center
Living Kaurna Cultural Centre
University of New South Wales – Nura Gili Indigenous Programs

Government

Austrade
Australia Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Australian Government Department of Climate Change
Australian Government – Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
Australian Government, Department of the Environment – Indigenous Australians Caring for Country
Australian Government Department on Foreign Affairs and Trade
Australian Government, National Land & Water Resources Audit
Australian Greenhouse Office
Central Darling Shire Council
Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia
Government of Western Australia Department of Water
Murry Darling Basin Commission
New South Wales Government, NSW Water Information
New South Wales Government Portal
New South Wales Water Information

Other Multimedia

Kahn Brothers
My River ABC Film series – Several short Film interviews
Steaming the River
Wilcannia, Dust Storm Video
Wilcannia MOB

Organizations

Australia Conservation Foundation
Australian Securities Exchange
Conservation Council of SA
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
Darling River Run
Guide to Wilcannia NSW
Nature Conservation Council of NSW
Pacific Institute
Save The Murray
Sunshine Coast Environment Council Inc.
The Long Paddock, Wilcannia
The Nature Conservancy
Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists
World Wildlife Fund – Australia

Water Resources

Australian Wetlands and Rivers
Centre for Groundwater Studies
Designing Water’s Future
savewater.com.au
State of the Darling – Interim Hydrology Report 2007
Streamwatch
The World’s Water
University of Adelaide, Water Research Cluster
Waterwatch Australia

Wildfire

Climate Change Models Predicted Devastating Australian Wildfires
Hot and Dry Australia sees Wildfire danger rise
International Association of Wildfire
Nasa – February 28, 2009 Fires in Australia Satellite Image
The Earth Times – Australia’s Fires Taken as a portent of Global Warming
Wildfire Prevention in Australia [pdf]
Wildfires Rage in Australia (slide show)

Wikipedia

Wikipedia “Agriculture in Australia”
Wikipedia “Drought”
Wikipedia “Climate Change”
Wikipedia “Murray-Darling Basin”

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