We are arguing about water a lot these days as we inceasingly adapt to living with the effects of climate change. In my neck of the woods that means decreasing rainfall and a country that is drying out. In calling that drought we imply its only temporary, presuppose the rains will return, and deny that the dryness has the human finger print all over it. The scientific evidence increasingly undercuts that hope even though the big picture is still fuzzy from a lack of data. That lack is due to university research funding being cut by the Howard Government since 1996.

Gary Sauer-Thompson, Cliffs, 2004, River Murray series

The outlook is gloomy especiaily for those of us in Adelaide ,who are living downstream at the bottom of the Murray-Darling Basin and are still reliant on the waters of the River Murray for our drinking water.

Gary Sauer-thomspon, Reeds, 2004, from River Murray series

If the rains fall less, the runoff is less, the river's flow is less and the water supplies are depleted. Yet the population continues to increase, and along with it the demand for water.

Gary Sauer-Thompson, riverbank, 2004, from River Murray Series

Few have thought through the long term consequencesof climate change for southern Australia How many have considered that the electricity generators that now power Australian society may not have the large amounts of fresh water they require for their cooling towers?