FWIW We've been watching Australia ever since it became clear to us
that Australia is on the front lines of climate change and the
understanding you're developing about water reserves.


From my perspective I find this applause ironic. Take two cases.

The water management of the Murray-Darling basin. Everybody has know it has
been stuffed for years. Everybody knows if we don't fix it we are going to
be importing lots of food real soon. Everybody knows it will take a
national approach to fix it and that because of previous gross
over-allocations of water (which are no-one's fault BTW !!!!!) somebody will
have to take less. There was much running around screaming 'something must
be done'. So we have a report from an national independent commission
saying all this and what happens?

The irrigators all take up positions behind the barricades declaring 'take
my water from my cold dead hand'. From some the message is very clear the
commission got the objective wrong, don't re-organise water management so
that the basin can become sustainable. Don't head off the situation where
we all go broke in 30 years time. Do it so that we, here, now keep getting
everything we want and a bit more. If you ever wanted a living example of
the tragedy of the commons this is it.

We have a Prime Minister who wants to study climate change more - you don't
want to rush into these things. We have an opposition leader who can't
quite make up his mind if climate change is real, it depend on which way the
last opinion poll is heading what he says. We have a plethora of
politicians and a dirth of statesmen.

David