Drying the outback. (Science Update).

In 2002 much of the Australian continent suffered a debilitating drought. A new report commissioned by the environmental group WWF suggests that human activities that put greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere aggravate the drought and threaten the nation's agricultural sector.

"This is the first drought in Australia where the impact of human-induced global warming can be clearly observed," according to the report, which compares the 2002 drought with four other major droughts in the country since 1950. Among the findings are that higher temperatures and drier conditions have created conditions for bush-fires more than previous droughts. Most ominously, the …