SKA is the international radio telescope for the 21st Century that is currently being designed by radio astronomers from around the globe. Western Australia is likely to end up as the home for this international venture. The SKA will allow astronomers to peer back in time and space and explore the very frontiers of our universe.

A Singapore-based businessman is planning a radical, high-tech marina complex development 600 meters of the Yanchep coast in Western Australia. The development will using technology from the oil rig industry to construct the huge floating complex in an environmentally friendly way. The complex would incorporate a twenty story hotel structure with a lotus leaf design, boat moorings and recreational facilities.

Green energy glasshouses may transform arid areas. Fresh water will end the need to dig wells, say architects. Vast greenhouses that use sea water for crop cultivation could be combined with solar power plants to provide food, fresh water and clean energy in deserts, under an ambitious proposal from a team of architects and engineers. Click to Read more

Go to Google & search "solar desert". Select images......imagine even 1% of the Western Australian deserts covered in Solar panels.

With energy costs expected to rise, more homes will need to be reinsulated or even insulated for the first time. You'd expect the insulation business to do well in the future.

For a long time now, the government has been subsidising energy costs. This is hard to believe especially as we've lived through such prosperous times. Well, the subsidy is probably going to end so you need to prepare for double or triple the price for your electricity & gas. If you have limited cash, choose a small house with good insulation. Rising energy costs start to make solar energy a great option. Look for prices per kw after government rebate on solar to halve within 5 years.

With a new Barack Obama administration now in place, the U.S will spend up big on building its solar power capacity. Part of the 'spend' will be on research & development, part on a new 'smart grid' and the balance on power generating infrastructure. The tax laws will also be changed to create a climate of encouragment for companies to engage in the solar energy sector. Read more here about the solar grand plan - Click to read  more

According to the National Agriculture & Climate Change Action Plan, put out by Department of Agriculture Fisheries & Forestry, Bureau of Meteorology and Meat & Livestock Australia, we are probably going to experience severe climate change during the rest of this century. Some of the predictions from the report are -

Overall Trends Temperature projections for Western Australia indicate continued warming over the coming decades. Climate models consistently predict a reduction in winter and spring rainfall for south-west Western Australia. Rainfall projections indicate a drying trend for the whole state, apart from the Kimberley region. The combination of projected warming and rainfall decline has serious implications for streamflow in Western Australia. Potential threats from climate change exist for Western Australian agriculture. Farmers need to prepare for unavoidable climate change, as well as help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Changes in mean rainfall By 2030, annual rainfall across most of Western Australia is projected to decrease by 2–per cent relative to the climate around 1990 (Figure 1). By 2070 a decrease of 5–10 per cent is most likely under a low greenhouse gas emissionscenario, or a 10–20 per cent decrease under a high-emission scenario.

Winter and spring rainfall is likely to decrease, whereas changes in summer and autumn rainfall are less certain. A range of independent climate models consistently predict reduced rainfall for south-west Western Australia. When a range of models predict the same result for a given region, it increases confidence in the prediction. We expect natural climate drivers to strongly influence rainfall variability for many decades to come, counteracting and adding to the projected human-induced changes.

Changes in mean temperature -  We are more confident in the projections of mean temperature than those of rainfall. By 2030, annual average temperatures over Western Australia are projected to increase by up to 1°C in southern and coastal parts of the state, and up to 1.5°C inland (Figure 2). By 2070 this increase is around 1.5–2.5°C under a low-emission scenario, or around 3–4°C under a high-emission scenario. Less warming is expected in coastal and southern regions. Projected warming during summer is similar to the annual increase, but slightly greater during spring and slightly less during autumn and winter. Read Full report

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