Departing warning of 'perilous' water security

Rob Vertessy left the Bureau of Meteorology
 warning of "perilous" water security.
 

Australia faces a "perilous" water security future from climate change even as the Turnbull government eyes budget cuts to water programs and CSIRO halves climate investment, Rob Vertessy, the outgoing head of the Bureau of Meteorology, says.

Reservoirs in the Murray-Darling basin are now close to their lowest levels since the Millennium Drought and Tasmania is also facing "serious" issues", Dr Vertessy told Fairfax Media on Friday, his final day as the bureau's chief.

"Water shortage is a problem and climate change is going to be intensifying the drought and flood cycle," he said, noting that water demand is increasing. "Australia faces a really perilous water security challenge in the future."

Read Peter Hannam’s story of April 30 from The Sydney Morning Herald - “'Perilous': Bureau of Meteorology boss Rob Vertessy exits with climate warning."

'Perilous' water security - retiring BOM boss

Retiring BOM chief , Rob
Vertessy, says our
water situation is "perilous".

Australia faces a "perilous" water security future from climate change even as the Turnbull government eyes budget cuts to water programs and CSIRO halves climate investment, Rob Vertessy, the outgoing head of the Bureau of Meteorology, says.

Reservoirs in the Murray-Darling basin are now close to their lowest levels since the Millennium Drought and Tasmania is also facing "serious" issues", Dr Vertessy told Fairfax Media on Friday, his final day as the bureau's chief.

"Water shortage is a problem and climate change is going to be intensifying the drought and flood cycle," he said, noting that water demand is increasing. "Australia faces a really perilous water security challenge in the future."

Read Peter Hannam’s (Hannam is the Environmental Editor at The Sydney Morning Herald) story in today’s Sunday Age -“'Perilous': Bureau of Meteorology boss Rob Vertessy exits with climate warning.”

Newman's claims on climate change 'incorrect', 'irrelevant' and 'old red herrings'

C

laims by the Prime Minister's chief business adviser about climate change have been rejected by the head of the Bureau of Meteorology as "incorrect", irrelevant and "old red herrings".

Greens climate spokeswoman, Larissa Waters.

Earlier this month, Maurice Newman, the chairman of the Prime Minister's business advisory council, came under fire after he wrote in The Australian that scientific modelling showing the link between humans and climate change was wrong and the real agenda was a "new world order" led by the United Nations.

In a Senate estimates hearing on Monday, Greens climate spokeswoman Larissa Waters read through the opinion piece, paragraph by paragraph, asking the bureau's director of meteorology and chief executive Rob Vertessy to respond to Mr Newman's claims.

Read The Age story - “Bureau of Meteorology rejects Maurice Newman's climate claims”.