The Stream, January 16: Australian Heat Wave Sparks Questions About Water, Crops

Climate Change
As much of Australia’s southeastern region remains in the grip of a heat wave, experts from the Climate Council caution that such heat waves are only going to become more frequent, Reuters reported. Heat waves that are more intense and last longer will put increasing pressure on water supplies and the country’s major export crops of wheat and sugar.

As many as 26 million people in Bangladesh could migrate by 2050 due to floods, riverbank erosion, rising sea levels and other climate change factors, according to a new report released by the Sussex Centre for Migration Research, AlertNet reported. Migration experts are examining how communities can encourage climate change migration to be a successful adaptation rather than another problem.

United States
Nearly 160 kilometers (100 miles) of streams that support sockeye salmon and thousands of acres of wetlands could be destroyed by large-scale mining in Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed, a report from the United States Environmental Protection Agency found, Reuters reported. The Canadian company behind a proposed gold and copper mine in the area said that the EPA did not use proper methods when creating the report, and that the report is flawed.

Some communities in northern California have implemented mandatory water conservation measures due to an ongoing drought and dropping reservoir levels, the Los Angeles Times reported. The town of Willits, which has only 100 days of water supply left in its municipal reservoirs, is banning outdoor watering activities, requiring businesses to cut water use by 35 percent, and allowing only 568 liters (150 gallons) per day for a family of four.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

Codi Kozacek

A news correspondent for Circle of Blue based out of Hawaii. She writes The Stream, Circle of Blue’s daily digest of international water news trends. Her interests include food security, ecology and the Great Lakes.
Contact Codi Kozacek