Marne River

However, the significantly reduced downstream flows is due to both the the reduced rainfall in the eastern ranges and the rapid development of farm dams in the upper Marne catchment. The Eden Valley is a wine growing area that relies on ground and catchment water allocations and these existing water sources are insufficient. The region’s ecology is degraded from the over exploitation of the river’s water and there are no plans for rewilding.

What there is the shift to bring an additional water supply from the River Murray to the area to enable the irrigation of expanding vineyards and primary production requirements. Water, which is a common or good, has been transformed into a tradeable commodity and a production resource in the Murray-Darling Basin. The River Murray is currently the major source of irrigation water to the Barossa Valley Region, including Eden Valley.

Sitting in the background behind the reduced rainfall is climate heating– for the last 12 months the world has experienced 12 consecutive months in temperatures 1.5C (2.7F) greater than their average before the fossil fuel era — ie., pre-industrial times. The hotter the planet gets, the less people and ecosystems can adapt.

It is not possible to stay below 1.5C as the trend of a global rise in climate heating is set to continue. Hundreds of IPCC authors surveyed this year found three-quarters expect the planet to heat by at least 2.5C by 2100, with about half of the scientists expecting temperatures above 3C. Climate change is the existential threat to the world with its possible future time one of unprecedented ecological collapse.

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