Floods, Fires - Australia's Adaptation

While Melbourne managed to get a few drops of rain recently, all media focus switched from the high country fires to the floods in Queensland.
The same towns as 2011 were in danger of flooding - Grantham, Lockyer Valley, Gladstone, parts of Brisbane with dams overflowing and controlled releases of water from the Brisbane River Wivenhoe Dam. Bundaberg, meanwhile reached record flood levels.
The flooding is less severe than 2011 (mostly) but the combination of 6 tornadoes from cyclone Harold and resulting huge dump of rain over a few days is causing similar results to last time. Hopefully, without the loss of life and lesser property damage.
Insurance companies must be wondering how they can afford to insure these areas.
The "brittle buildings" as mentioned recently in the Financial Review that cannot withstand 6-9 meter rise in water.
A suggestion to buy out these properties was made on Jon Faine's 774 ABC Local Radio program this morning. Now in the land of the "droughts and flooding rain" ("My Country" by Dorothea McKellar) which government can afford to do that?
Some of the residents of Grantham agreed to a land swap and have rebuilt on higher ground. They are now benefiting from their wisdom.
A Liberal/National Party Government is likely to cut government services, sack public servants and outsource your services to profit making enterprises, and sell off the public enterprises in order to balance the budget. Not that a Labor Government is any better with record borrowings and toadying to big business.
Neither of them actually listening to what science is saying about the risk and costs of climate change. (Remember the Garnaut Report Chpt 15 reported on my blog 28 Jan 2011)
Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

Detail in the Devil

Recently an number of Tasmanian Devils were moved from Tasmania to NSW. The Devil population has been considered extinct on the mainland of Australia (though with occasional sightings & road kill) so the move is to a semi wild managed area. The development of the deadly Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) has caused massive decrease in numbers of Devils in their native habitat, caused in part by low genetic diversity amongst the populations.
Now that a new population is being reinstated on the mainland in semi-wild conditions there may be a chance to isolate them against the disease.
Isolation of populations on islands is common, and is done with birds such as the flightless New Zealand Kiwi & Kakapo parrot. The problem with these sorts of approaches, (other than the human costs) is that the small populations are susceptible to disease and disaster, like the floods engulfing Queensland and parts of northern Victoria.
I have often wondered how many native animals such as wombats, echidnas, reptiles, even snakes have succumbed to the floods and what it will do to these populations. Would we even know if this flood event is just another in the sorry state of Australian extinction events.
And what will be the effect of the contaminated, silt laden water on the Great Barrier Reef? No doubt there will be several research programs being planned to get this data. For our sake, (tourism & ecology both) I hope the effect of the floods will be temporary at most and not too deleterious.

My Spring Carnival

My Spring Carnival this year is rather tame. One member of the family has been studying for exams the last 5 years each Melbourne Cup weekend, so they are focused inwards. The "other half" runs his own business and never takes the Monday off. Quite often I have been working the weekend before Melbourne Cup. So yesterday, I watched the rain fall from the "comfort" of a busy library. Wiping rain soaked book covers and laughing at people huddling drenched outside the doors when we closed.

Our rain gauge at home has now measured more than 65mm from Friday night - Sunday morning. A decent soaking - so much so that I wondered whether we would have some minor flooding. However, the agee pipes have done their job well.
I was on holiday in outback NSW recently. While visiting the Menindee Lakes I met several hardy souls camping beside the lakes. As one does in the outback, we stopped to have a word or two. The Murray Darling Basin plan had just been released and people were concerned and outraged. With the Lakes full many expressed total disbelief in any "Climate Change" theory. And the recent rains here in Melbourne will just accentuate this view.

But time will tell. After all one year of weather, does not climate make. Whether or not the scientists are right, moving towards a low carbon economy will have great benefits.

But not for everyone. Some will lose livelihoods and more. It happened when my parents moved from their small town to a small city whilst seeking a better life.