...Drought is a gradual phenomenon (click here for link). Although droughts are sometimes characterized as emergencies, they differ from typical emergency events. Most natural disasters, such as floods or forest fires, occur relatively rapidly and afford little time for preparing for disaster response. Droughts occur slowly, over a multiyear period. There is no universal definition of when a drought begins or ends. Impacts of drought are typically felt first by those most reliant on annual rainfall -- ranchers engaged in dryland grazing, rural residents relying on wells in low-yield rock formations, or small water systems lacking a reliable source. Criteria used to identify statewide drought conditions do not address these localized impacts. Drought impacts increase with the length of a drought, as carry-over supplies in reservoirs are depleted and water levels in groundwater basins decline....
(California) Governor's Proclamations Related to Water Shortages (click here)
Schwarzenegger proclaims that California is in a drought (click here)
SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed a statewide drought Wednesday, warning that California's water supply is falling dangerously low because of below-average rainfall and court-ordered water restrictions aimed at protecting fish.
"We must recognize the severity of this crisis we face," Schwarzenegger said at a Capitol news conference. He said this spring has been the driest on record in Northern California, which supplies most of the water to the state....
Australia's Drought is in Epic Proportions. There is little change in sight for reversing Human Induced Global Warming without a profound change in direction from the USA. There just isn't. The USA is responsible for the majority of CO2 emitted on Earth and that is a very sad scenario for the 'so called' wealthiest nation and the last 'so called' Superpower.
Australia's epic drought: The situation is grim (click here)
By Kathy Marks in Sydney
Friday, 20 April 2007
Australia has warned that it will have to switch off the water supply to the continent's food bowl unless heavy rains break an epic drought - heralding what could be the first climate change-driven disaster to strike a developed nation.
The Murray-Darling basin in south-eastern Australia yields 40 per cent of the country's agricultural produce. But the two rivers that feed the region are so pitifully low that there will soon be only enough water for drinking supplies. Australia is in the grip of its worst drought on record, the victim of changing weather patterns attributed to global warming and a government that is only just starting to wake up to the severity of the position....
PM sets out vision for car industry (click here)
June 5, 2008 - 4:29PM
Fuel efficient and hybrid cars will be the centrepiece of a new plan for the Australian car industry, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says.
The industry is already under review, with an inquiry headed by former Victorian premier Steve Bracks.
Mr Rudd said it was time to confront the challenges of climate change and soaring oil prices, and the need to reduce fuel consumption.
The industry had reinvented itself before and it needed to do so again, he said.
"Two decades ago, the industry needed a plan to consolidate, increase its efficiency and lift its international competitiveness," Mr Rudd told Parliament in a ministerial statement marking World Environment Day....
