Australia has been having some funny weather of late, with high temperatures in the south and massive rainfall in the north east. Queensland has been buffeted by huge downpours that have flooded large areas that include towns, national highways, and tourist locations. Yet despite all the devastation and heartbreak, many of us Queenslanders are trying to find the right balance between sympathy for those effected and joy that the rains have finally come, breaking the drought in some of the southern reaches of the state which has been worrying farmers and householders for a good few years. Such is the blessing (and curse) of La Niña.

You may recall being taught in highschool about El Niño (’little boy’ in Spanish) and La Niña (’little girl’), the two related weather patterns which effect the coasts of eastern Australia and western Chile. Both patterns are effected by the sea surface temperature in the Pacific Ocean - La Niña has a temperature variation lower than normal, El Niño higher. It’s amazing what a difference 0.5 of degree Celsius can make - in Australia, El Niño brings widespread drought, devastatingly high temperatures and long periods where bad air quality and bushfires are the norm. La Niña, meanwhile, brings large amounts of rain, humidity, and somewhat cooler temperatures. As you can imagine, in a country as big as Australia where droughts can extend for decades and farmers can be broken whilst waiting for rain, La Niña is generally a welcome visitor.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology is always a great source of information, and yet again they’ve come up with the goods. Below is a map of the average rainfall that falls across Australia. The north is prone to monsoonal downpours in the ‘wet’ season, and less rain in the corresponding ‘dry’ season. Further south, the usual seasons apply.

While looking at this map, bear in mind that Brisbane, my home, had been experiencing such significant water shortages (despite what the annual rainfall map may suggest) that our dams were dipping below 17% before the rain came a month or so ago. Thankfully we are now almost at 40%, all thanks to our friend Nina.

Above is the map of the 2007 rainfall across Australia. Notice that the area around Brisbane is marked as ‘Below Average’, as is most of south-eastern Queensland. Whilst looking through the maps on the Bureau’s website, I found that the few years preceding 2007 showed the same ‘Below Average’ or ‘Very Much Below Average’ rainfall indications around the Brisbane area. The 2007 map was actually quite mild in scope compared with some of the years before it.

Will La Niña continue to give us the pleasure of her company, or will we be swinging back to the El Niño patterns quicker than our dams can handle? I for one cordially extend an invitation to stay to our friend Nina, providing she rains in all the right places.

A few years ago, as part of a Fashion History course I was doing for my undergrad degree, I learned just how harmful cotton can be for the environment. Although it’s touted by many as being all natural and incredibly versatile, cotton actually requires a lot of extra attention in the farming and processing stages. The truth is that in order for farmers to be able to grow large cotton crops such as is required for clothing purposes, they have to rely on pesticides and genetically modified plants, as well as a huge amount of water. Once the cotton gets to the manufacturing stage, the factories chew through large levels of water (steaming and rinsing) and chemicals (purifying, proofing and dying). Denim fabric in particular is one of the worst as far as water conservation during the manufacturing process is concerned.

I hadn’t really thought too deeply about the ethics of denim until my mum brought it to my attention a few days ago after she read about the problem in ABC’s ‘Life’ magazine. The article, entitled ‘Green is the new black’, mentions that 20,000 people die per year from accidental pesticide poisoning used in the growing of cotton. Moreover, for every kilogram of cotton grown in Australia alone, 4,268 litres of water is consumed. If this cotton is then manufactured into denim, another 7,000-29,000 litres of water are used in the washing and dying processes. Growing the cotton used in every pair of jeans requires one third of a kilogram of pesticide.

Nasty, right? Fortunately it appears that a number of labels are realizing just how harmful the growing and manufacturing of materials for clothing can actually be, and are taking steps to improve their fabrics and factory standards. The article mentions that an Italian brand, Nudie jeans, is producing clothing that is one hundred percent organic and which has been manufactured in ways that are not harmful to the environment. Levi’s has jumped on the band-wagon too, with a limited range of ‘Green Jeans’. Then there’s the Sugar Cane and Co Denim Clothing brand, which uses sugar cane fibres instead of cotton to make the denim fabric. Other labels claim to be cutting down on the pesticides used in cotton production, and still more are boasting that they incorporate ‘recycled’ denim (off-cuts and pre-loved jeans) in their designs. Some denim companies are researching whether hemp and bamboo can be used in the fabric production process instead of relying solely on cotton.

As a denim lover (I think I own seven pairs of jeans, two denim skirts and a pair of denim capri shorts), I would gladly pay a little bit more for my jeans if it meant that they were kinder not just to the environment but to the people that produced them. I’m not too fussed about hemp clothing, or about avoiding leather (it smells so good!), but environmentally-friendly denim is certainly something I can see myself getting into, so to speak.

Remember that awesome kids television show Captain Planet?  Just like most other people my age, I know that my brother, sister and I know the theme tune off by heart (’Captain Planet, he’s our hero, gonna take pollution down to zero…’ etc etc) and we have been known to break into song whenever someone wearing a Planeteer-esque ring is in the general vicinity.  Jumping around yelling, ‘Earth! Fire! Wind! Water! Heart! The power is yours!’ is also good fun.  It doesn’t endear you to the neighbours but you do have a fun time pretending to save the world from ‘lootin’ and polluting’.

It’s a pity that Captain Planet re-runs aren’t being broadcast on free-to-air television channels so that a new generation of kids can benefit from such wisdom as: ‘plant a tree!’, ’save the whales’, ‘turn off the tap’ and ‘if you are a Catholic or Protestant living in Ireland please stop fighting!’ (perhaps that last one was relevant in the 1990’s…).   I know that I have Captain Planet partially to thank for being as environmentally aware as I am, although I would never profess to being a green expert.  For years we’ve tried to do little things for the environment, like recycling, collecting water (in tanks and from the shower), keeping a compost bin for kitchen rubbish, purchasing green electricity, and trying to keep the water and electricity bills down.  I’m beginning to realise, however, that these small contributions aren’t even close to enough, and that our lives are going to have to change significantly.

I know that Rob has lofty ideals about buying some land and converting it back to rainforest, and my Mum has similar feelings.  My Dad and I both want to be self-sufficient with our own water and electricity stores, and all four of us (and many of our friends and family) are passionate about local produce.  But how far does this take us?  We are all guilty of international and domestic air travel several times a year.  None of us drive hybrid cars (although as I understand it hybrids aren’t as efficient as they should be).  We don’t plan our car trips so that we can get as much done in one trip as possible.  We don’t have a solar panel on our roof for lighting or water-heating, and our home was built before the term ‘energy-efficient’ had any meaning.  There are still some non-energy-efficient light-bulbs lurking in our houses, and we all have (and use all day, every day) our own laptops.  As aware as we all are of the environment, of decreasing carbon emissions, of becoming more self-sufficient, and of being smarter about our waste and recycling, we are all still guilty of being unwilling to make big changes.

The ‘7:30 Report’ stated last night that Australia will have to cut its carbon-fuel emissions by 90% in the next fifty years, but I personally can’t see how that is even close to being achievable, even with every Australian agreeing that it sounds like a good idea.  What will it take for us - as global citizens - to jump into action and start making the changes?  We are all aware of the environment and it’s dire need for help, but like children watching television, we seem to be waiting for a super-hero to swoop in at the last minute and do the saving for us.