Australia’s Darling River is running dry • Hacker News Board

Re: Australia’s Darling River is running dry

#41

Post by kieranmaine » Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 2:08 PM UTC

PixyMisa wrote: post #17

lllr_finger wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you driving towards the conclusion that we don't need to be concerned about management of water resources because this happens naturally? That sounds close to the argument that we shouldn't do anything about climate change since the Earth naturally warms and cools.

> Are you driving towards the conclusion that we don't need to be concerned about management of water resources because this happens naturally? Not at all. My point is that if this is taken as an example of climate change it does a terrible disservice to real climate science, because this is something that has been happening on a regular basis for as long as we have records.

As pointed out by others the article talks about water use not climate change:

"At Menindee, 830 km west of Sydney, despair has turned to anger as residents blame the government for exacerbating the drought by drawing down river water in 2017 for irrigation and other uses downstream."

Re: Australia’s Darling River is running dry

#42

Post by Gatsky » Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 2:10 PM UTC

neotek wrote: post #4

Meanwhile we're still voting in governments that don't believe in climate change and which fight tooth and nail to destroy any chance of addressing the problem. No worries giving endless buckets of taxpayer money to climate-denying farmers and coal plants, though.

There are many people in the current government that believe in climate change. The real problem is that the government has surmised (correctly, it would seem) that climate change isn’t an issue that will win an election. That and the fact that pricing carbon was the opposition party’s policy...

Re: Australia’s Darling River is running dry

#43

Post by missosoup » Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 2:10 PM UTC

kieranmaine wrote: post #39

missosoup wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think GP is saying that climate change itself is hyperbole. The problem is that reporting on both sides is garbage laden with misunderstandings and outright lies. This fuels the anti-climate movement, especially when it's coming from the 'pro' side like in this case. I've been ringing bells about catastrophic climate change since the early 00s after being involved in a relevant research project, I'm the polar…

As pointed out by others the article talks about water use not climate change: "At Menindee, 830 km west of Sydney, despair has turned to anger as residents blame the government for exacerbating the drought by drawing down river water in 2017 for irrigation and other uses downstream."

The article heavily insinuates climate change and will certainly be categorised as a climate change piece in the minds of most readers.

Especially in Australia where 'drought' === 'climate change' === 'farmer issues'.

Re: Australia’s Darling River is running dry

#44

Post by roenxi » Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 2:11 PM UTC

Fricken wrote: post #22

corebit wrote: post #14

This article is a perfect example of why the climate change issue is so polarized - it's just so full of propaganda and lies that the important truth it talks about is glossed over with mistrust. "Reduced to a string of stagnant mustard-coloured pools, fouled in places with pesticide runoff and stinking with the rotting carcasses of cattle and fish, the Darling River is running dry." This river runs dry regularly and…

Your comment is an even better example of why the climate change issue is so polarized, because the article made no mention of climate change, yet you were triggered by it anyhow.

There are literally no weather conditions that won't be cited as evidence of dangerous climate change sooner or later. Wetter, dryer, hotter, colder, etc. It isn't so much being triggered as just saving time and hurrying the conversation on to its likely destination.

If the point isn't to talk about climate change there isn't much to this article. Australia frequently experiences droughts. They are taken with a high quality camera but all the photos are basically classic Australian bush scenes.

Re: Australia’s Darling River is running dry

#45

Post by BubRoss » Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 2:13 PM UTC

ssully wrote: post #38

corebit wrote: post #14

This article is a perfect example of why the climate change issue is so polarized - it's just so full of propaganda and lies that the important truth it talks about is glossed over with mistrust. "Reduced to a string of stagnant mustard-coloured pools, fouled in places with pesticide runoff and stinking with the rotting carcasses of cattle and fish, the Darling River is running dry." This river runs dry regularly and…

The article doesn't even mention the word 'climate', let alone 'climate change'. There are references to last summer being the hottest on record, which is true, or the effects of the drought, but it's not talking about climate change. Get your shit together - you are a perfect example of why the issue is polarized.

If the river always runs dry and the article is not implying anything about climate change, then why does the article exist?

Re: Australia’s Darling River is running dry

#46

Post by montalbano » Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 2:14 PM UTC

quickcode wrote: post #36

Fricken wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your comment is an even better example of why the climate change issue is so polarized, because the article made no mention of climate change, yet you were triggered by it anyhow.

>Last summer was the hottest on record, and in Menindee, where temperatures regularly top 38 Celsius (100 Fahrenheit), another scorching season is expected. Climate change is very implicit in the context of the article, even if not explicitly stated.

The first two points (hottest summer on record, average temperatures) are facts about recent weather patterns. The third is simply a prediction (I don't know what the source was for that).

Was the article incorrect in any specific way? If that is the case, I would love to know where it was wrong, specifically.

Re: Australia’s Darling River is running dry

#47

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 2:15 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Australia’s Darling River is running dry

#48

Post by JacKTrocinskI » Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 2:16 PM UTC

neotek wrote: post #4

Meanwhile we're still voting in governments that don't believe in climate change and which fight tooth and nail to destroy any chance of addressing the problem. No worries giving endless buckets of taxpayer money to climate-denying farmers and coal plants, though.

I think voting with your dollar is much effective then voting at the ballot boxes since politicians go to where the money is and end up not fulfilling most of their campaign promises anyway.

Re: Australia’s Darling River is running dry

#49

Post by throwaway5752 » Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 2:21 PM UTC

JacKTrocinskI wrote: post #48

neotek wrote: post #4

Meanwhile we're still voting in governments that don't believe in climate change and which fight tooth and nail to destroy any chance of addressing the problem. No worries giving endless buckets of taxpayer money to climate-denying farmers and coal plants, though.

I think voting with your dollar is much effective then voting at the ballot boxes since politicians go to where the money is and end up not fulfilling most of their campaign promises anyway.

Well, you can do both really easily. Thankfully it's not a binary decision.

Re: Australia’s Darling River is running dry

#50

Post by ceejayoz » Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 2:27 PM UTC

roenxi wrote: post #44

Fricken wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your comment is an even better example of why the climate change issue is so polarized, because the article made no mention of climate change, yet you were triggered by it anyhow.

There are literally no weather conditions that won't be cited as evidence of dangerous climate change sooner or later. Wetter, dryer, hotter, colder, etc. It isn't so much being triggered as just saving time and hurrying the conversation on to its likely destination. If the point isn't to talk about climate change there isn't much to this article. Australia frequently experiences droughts. They are taken with a high…

> If the point isn't to talk about climate change there isn't much to this article.

Sure there is. The article talks about non-climate-change human impacts, like the use of upstream water for irrigation. There's discussion to be had around that.