Water and the Great Artesian Basin

In the past few years, Australia has experienced a drastically savage drought, catastrophic bush fires, followed by floods and cyclones in areas previously thought to be safe. More important still, in this - the driest continent on earth - the Federal and NSW State Governments seem to be determined to proceed with allowing Santos to drill through our Great Artesian Basin to extract dangerous carbon and methane emitting coal seam gas in north-western NSW (Narrabri). The area is valuable as is for its Pillaga forest that protects threatened wildlife, the hot springs which draw tourists and its fertile farming land. Ministers in our governments do not seem to understand the nature of the Great Artesian Basin. Since white settlement of this country, the Basin has been drawn down hundreds of feet. When I first visited the outback in 1999, I was horrified at the number of bores that were gushing water onto the ground to evaporate in the arid conditions. Thankfully, these bores are mostly capped these days.

(Update: I had great hopes for the Albanese government putting a moratorium on this project in 2022. Sadly, they have given the go-ahead.)

The water in the GAB collects there after cyclones. It takes years to filter down through the rocks and re-fill the basin. When Europeans arrived in Australia and discovered the benefits of this wonderfully clean underground water, they began squandering it. Unlike the Aborigines, Europeans did not respect our sacred water. This water is Australia’s insurance policy against drought. Farmers rely on this uncontaminated water for irrigation; people and animals rely on it for drinking water.

The water of the Great Australian Basin is Australia's life-saving grace. As climate change ramps up, we will die of thirst if our underground water is contaminated by fracking for coal seam gas.

Eating Out

I have been out to a birthday lunch today and I have another tomorrow. This is highly unusual for me to have two restaurant lunches in one week, let alone two days running. I seldom eat out because of all my food intolerances and a couple of allergies.

I am possibly coeliac, but definitely gluten intolerant. I am also intolerant of milk casein (protein) and lactose (not sure about the latter.) As well, I am intolerant of high levels of salicylates, amines, glutamates, MSG, preservatives and colourings, especially the azo (cold tar) dyes with which they colour medications. The RPAH in Sydney has a whole unit devoted to helping people with food allergies and intolerances.

My beef with restaurants is that they believe the crap in newspapers that intolerances are fashions. They are real and I suffer badly if I ignore them. As a nutritionist, I know that people who are gluten intolerant are also intolerant of dairy products. If you are intolerant of gluten and salicylates, it is almost certain you are intolerant to the rest of the list above. Intolerance is an immune disorder. There are plenty of GF options in restaurants and cafes, but then I find they are full of dairy products. The other thing I become angry about is that I am refused when I ask for the salmon ( a common GF option with a different side dish, because the salad and sauce is full of salicylates, amines, glutamates and probably preservatives or nasty antioxidants.

Today, I asked for a small serve of sweet potato chips alongside my salmon because the salad on offer was full of items I cannot eat. I was refused. Should I have paid nearly $30 to be served one small piece of grilled salmon? I decided to have a bowl of the sweet potato fries and an almond milk hot chocolate along with a sweet (every option contained dairy). I asked for my almond milk to be extra hot. It wasn’t! Why do they serve a marshmallow that contains gluten to a person with intolerances? Do the waitresses not think?

Moths

Have you stepped outside at night recently, turned on an outdoor globe? Whereupon once there would have been a crowd of moths attracted by the light, now there is seldom one?

On a road trip in the countryside, have you noticed there is no longer the need to clean all the dead insects off the windscreen when you stop for fuel?

Where have all the insects gone?. What is pollinating our crops nowadays?

We hear a great deal about the plight of koalas but what about our insects that are vanishing, becoming extinct in our lifetimes? If an entire phylum goes extinct, how does that upset the equilibrium of our Mother Earth?

Find out what roles insects play in the ecology of the planet we live on.

Why are our insect numbers dropping dramatically? The Conversation online newspaper article today points out the bleeding obvious. We know that men who wear tight underpants and trousers lose the fertility of their sperm because of excess body heat around their scrotums. Apparently so do other animals and insects too, as well as coral.

The 2019-20 drought, heat wave and fires brought extreme temperatures to eastern Australia. Now we have an extreme drop in the number of insects. Are out wild birds and animals having a similar loss of fertility? Is the fall in the numbers of wildlife and the growing risks of extinction due to rising temperatures as well as to manmade chemicals in the environment?

“The prediction that tropical and sub-tropical species may be more vulnerable to climate change is not new. But the fertility findings suggest the negative impact of climate change may be even worse than anticipated.” The Conversation 25th May, 2021. (Belinda van Heerwaarden and Ary Hoffmann, the University of Melbourne.)