BruceWhyWorry

=Today's Australian Desert=

Australia's climate is changing, water is scarce, and culture of Australian farming is undergoing a traumatic metamorphosis.

Our planet is nearing a collective one-degree increase in average temperature. Severe weather events are popping up across the globe from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina to the floods in Pakistan. Summer heat waves in Paris endanger France’s elderly, and coral reefs are turning into an aquatic wasteland akin to deforestation. As temperatures rise across the world, Australia is one of the first places to experience the permanent extreme effects that global warming has to offer. Although one-degree changes have happened before in Earth's history, they developed over thousands of years not decades like the modern rises we see today (Bowman). The rate at which the climate is shifting is so rapid that Australian ecosystems and cultures do not have the time to adapt.

Illustrated beautifully (and tragically) in the image above, lush pastures that once fueled the Australian agricultural industry have completely dried up. Droughts have forced the government to place restrictions on water usage, and farmers are baring most of the burden. In an April 2009 National Geographic article, Robert Draper tells the story of Malcolm Adlington, a dairy farmer who has sold over 85% of his dairy cows in the past five years to simply maintain a living. Without fertile land for his livestock to graze on, he is forced to feed them grass from the sides of a public road. “Not strictly legal” he tells Draper, but a risk he must take in order to support what little he has left.

Adlington's case is just the tip of an iceberg of problems for Australia's farming communities. Draper continues on revealing that domestic tension and depression run rampant through farming families. Multiple reports of couples fighting over financial issues like debt and tough decision such as to declare bankruptcy only add to the stresses of raising a family with little to no resources. The doldrums of depression are fought with “Blokes’ Day Out” or “Pamper Day,” where farming women are treated to free pedicures, massages, and hairstyling advice (Draper).

Animosity toward the government is prevalent throughout the farming communities. For instance, Adlington possesses a permit to draw 273 million gallons of water each year from the river. Until the drought ends, the government has forbidden him, and countless other small farmers, from taking a drop. Yet, Adlington is still required to pay for his portion of the water. This is simply a social injustice. Anger toward the government also stems from its lack of implementing precautionary measures. Farmers warning of disaster to come were easily dismissed by officials: “You can’t stop progress” (Draper).

When it comes to water accessibility, Australia is not the only continent affected by global warming. The way of life for billions of people is in jeopardy as Himalayan glaciers retreat (Larmer). The headwaters of the Ganges of India and the Yangtze of China both trace their roots to the Himalayans. If substantial progress isn't made on the Asian continent, the disasters and travesties that are havocking Australia may soon appear on a much larger scale.

Image Sources: Top Left: iStockPhoto All Others: Amy Toensing

References: Bowman, Ron. __Six Degrees Could Change the World__. National Geographic, 2008. Draper, Robert. "Australia's Dry Run." __National  Geographic__. April 2009. Larmer, Brook. "The Gods Must Be Furious." __National Geographic Magazine__. pp 66-79. April 2010.