SYDNEY -- Summer has struck early, and already it's a vicious one. Half of Australia is suffering its worst drought on record. Oven-hot winds are sweeping fires through tinder-dry bush land toward the major cities. And that's just for starters.
True, the nation's economy is still riding high, but Federal Treasurer Peter Costello warns Australia could be heading into recession because of this freakish weather.
Drought is etched in the Australian psyche. After 200 years of white settlement, we should know that long dry spells are our natural climate and be prepared for them with the world's most advanced water-saving systems. And we are, to a degree. But this time we look ill-prepared. At last tardy governments are spending billions of rescue dollars and are even turning to water desalination plants.