Rain Coming ?

The clouds to the east and northeast were rosy pink on the underside of sheeting grey this morning, as I made my way up the 'dead horse' hill (apparently a draught horse dropped dead hauling a dray of timber up Quinn Rd, which was the main road before it was re routed). Very different to yesterday, there's more cloud altogether, and a nice grey colour building in the west.

If you think I have a fixation with the weather and particularly rain, you're right. I heard it said on the radio today that the 19th century was the century of the goldrush, the 20th the oil rush, is the 21st century to be that of the water rush? It could well be. Southeast Australia, and the southwest, seems to be drying out.

It worries me enormously there's so much sceptism in the community about global warming, and apathy generally, about the degrading agricultural landscape and river systems. While Rome burns, as has Victoria regularly in recent years, Nero fiddles. Our leaders today are demanding apologies and resignations in the wash of Utegate, which looks like a fizzer, by the way. Last week the papers and TV were full of the demise of 'Twopence' Moran. The week before there was outrage because there was some doubt that ACDC might not be able to use Etihad stadium for it's concerts next Febuary because of the NAB Cup. It's all pretty sick and depressing really.

I've long believed that Australia needs a massive revegetation program to repair ecological damage. Even now, with so much more pressure exerted by environmentalists, logging of old growth forests continues in Tasmania and Victoria, and the humdinger of all pulp mills is close to happening. Our record is very bad for loss of wildlife species and flora, and Australia is the highest per capita greenhouse gas emitter.

As the forests have shrunk and dried out, they catch fire regularly, and we're told last summer's destruction will be more likely in future. There's the inevitable push to control burn more native bush to save life and property, but this will further dry everything out. Farmers are going broke in northern and western Victoria while the state government announces the proposed release of thousands of hectares of agricultural land close to Melbourne for residential development. How many desal plants will be needed in twenty years?

I love rain. And trees and forests. They attract rain. We need more. They suck moisture from underground and expire into the atmosphere, they lower the salt table. Timber is still the cheapest and most environment friendly building material, yet there's a looming world wide shortage. I don't mean fire prone native trees exclusively. There are 600 different types of oaks in the world. I'm sure suitable trees could be found for a variety of purpose and use, not the least of which is absorbing carbon from the atmosphere.

I would happily pay more tax, say on petrol, another fifty cents a litre, if the money was used to create forests or regenerate vegetation on degraded land. Maybe the state government could put an emission levy on registration of cars for private use, say $1000 each. What would that raise, $3 billion annually? That'd be a good start to building new 'green' industry and green jobs in planning and management. Down the track, there'd even be a harvest.

In the meantime I'll keep watching the clouds, and praying for change.