A new web-based report on the link between climate change and water scarcity in Australia has been launched today the first day of National Water Week. The report makes it clear that Australia must act now on climate change in order to protect its precious water resources.
A feature of the report is its breakdown of water impacts at a State-by-State and city-by-city level. This allows average Australians to find out how their city or State will be affected.
According to the report, Australians will face many alarming future scenarios, should we fail to act on climate change. These include:
- An expected 11% reduction in annual rainfall and a 31% reduction in annual water yield for WAs Stirling Dam catchment by 2050; and
- Adelaide's drinking water to exceed safety levels set by the World Health Organisation two out of five days by 2050.
The report also focuses on impacts on farmers, including increased drought and flood. Irrigators face major shortages of water, and cotton production is likely to decline by 8% to 23%. In the Murray-Darling Basin alone, economic losses of between $0.8 billion and $1.2 billion will be incurred, depending on the level of greenhouse gases emitted
