Permanent drought
Rainfall has declined by nearly 20 percent in the past seven years over parts of southwestern Western Australia, through to Victoria and into southern New South Wales state.
At the same time, temperatures have been rising in Australia by about one degree Celsius over the past 50 years, requiring more rain to fall just to keep the status quo.
· Accelerating vortex of winds whipping ... [Reuters ]
· About 160,000 people die every year from side-effects of global warming [ CNN]