The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) has today urged a suite of actions and investments to protect the future of the Murray-Darling Basin in the face of climate change, which is threatening the river’s health and sustainability.

In a new essay series A thriving Murray-Darling Basin in 50 years: Actions in the face of climate change, ATSE urges more investment in technologies to monitor the river for climate impacts and in sustained governance with regional and rural communities at the centre, coupled with evolving our agriculture industry in the face of decreased water availability and accepted water-sharing policies.

The essay series highlights the vibrant, thriving potential of the Basin if sustainably managed for the benefit of communities and the environment.

To achieve this, it recommends reinstating a body to provide independent objective policy advice on national water management, including for the Murray-Darling Basin, to help guide consistent national data-driven decision-making.

ATSE President Katherine Woodthorpe AO FTSE (pictured) said the future of the Murray-Darling Basin is recognised to be at severe risk. That comprehensive action across Federal, State and Territory Governments will be decisive in safeguarding its biodiversity, and social and economic importance to Australia.

"Essays address climate change in the Murray-Darling Basin";

"Australia could play a key role: what a key Paris Agreement negotiator thinks about our climate future";

"Poorer nations must be transparent over climate spending, says Cop29 leader";

"Weather tracker: Mexico swelters under season’s first heatwave";

"Oil giant plans to move 60,000 tonnes of steel, rig waste to UN-listed wetlands";

"A Grampians town’s remarkable recovery after ‘the beast’ burnt through";

"Energy Efficiency Council".

"

"I’ve done the sums. All we need is 1,200 square kilometres. That’s not much. The area devoted to agriculture is about 3,500 times larger at 4.2 million square kilometres. The area of land that would be taken away from agriculture works out at about 45 square metres per person – about the size of a large living room.

"We can ditch fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse emissions with negligible impact on agriculture. And, in many cases, farmers can be paid for hosting renewable energy infrastructure while continuing to run sheep and cows or grow crops."

So says a Professor of Engineering from the Australian National University, Professor Andrew Blakers (pictured), in an article published in The Conversation: "No threat to farmland: just 1,200 square kilometres can fulfil Australia’s solar and wind energy needs".

Professor Blakers visited Mooroopna, just across the Goulburn River from Shepparton, several years ago as one of about three speakers at a climate change forum organised by the Shepparton-based group, "Slap Tomorrow".

The convenor of Zero Carbon Tatura, Terry Court, also on the Goulburn Valley-based GV Community Energy board, joined me for the conversation with Professor Blakers.