Floods and the Perilous March of Australian Sprawl

Australia’s urban sprawl into flood-prone regions presents a profound case of civilisation’s unchecked expansion colliding with the very processes of nature. In the philosophy of organism the world is not a static entity but an unfolding process, a constant interplay of forces. The spread of human habitation into precarious landscapes—buoyed by a reliance on fossil fuels that further intensify climatic volatility—is a prime example of what I have termed the “fallacy of misplaced concreteness”: the tendency to treat abstracted human aspirations as if they exist apart from the living, shifting reality of nature.

Cities and suburbs stretch outward in search of economic growth and comfortable living, yet the land itself is not a passive receptacle for human will. The dynamism of rivers, floodplains, and weather systems does not submit to the rigid grids of development. The increasing frequency and severity of floods, driven in part by the very fossil-fuel-intensive activities that enable this expansion, illustrate the failure to integrate our urban ambitions within the deeper rhythms of an evolving planet.

There is an irony here—a civilisation that prizes rational planning is, in fact, perpetuating a chaotic and unsustainable trajectory. This is a problem of abstraction divorced from process. The concrete realities of atmospheric instability, rising sea levels, and the saturation of flood-prone soils are ignored in favor of a narrow economic calculus that sees only the immediate, not the emergent.

What, then, is the remedy? It is not merely a technical fix but a reorientation of thought. True wisdom does not impose an artificial stasis upon a dynamic world but seeks harmony with its processes. A city that respects the patterns of water, that adapts rather than resists, is one that aligns itself with the creative advance of nature rather than standing in opposition to it. If we are to avoid catastrophe, we must cease treating the world as an inert backdrop to human activity and recognize it as the active, evolving reality in which our own future is enmeshed.

(Curated text by Alfred North Whitehead, Process & Reality, Cyclone Alfred, Bellingen Area and ChatGPT.)

Korora - The Solitary Islands Marine Park Coastal Walk

One stop along the Solitary Islands Marine Park coastal walk (map) is Korora. It is a small ocean-side suburb to the north of Coffs Harbour. Approaching from Charlesworth Bay the walk follows a steep littoral rainforest track. One knows when one is near dwellings as the weeds multiply and the sound of yapping dogs can be heard. All over NSW it seems a tradition to chuck the 'garden clippings' over the fence, into the 'bush'. They strain to distinguish themselves from this amorphous  'bush' of bio-diversity to grow a mono-culture of lawn and pretty weeds. The only welcomed animals are dogs, stuffed with native marsupial meat. The barking cacophony is not the only extension beyond their fence posts, but the diverse bush is also simply annexed as a tip. The chuck and grab formula applies all over coastal Australia - it is a frame of mind.


When the McMansions are 'just in your face' on the cliff top, there are only dead trees and stumps providing ocean 'views'. The bush reserve is simply disposed over by private interests. Coal- powered air conditioners hum along to the barking audio pollution. No solar ever in sight. The thick line of weeds emanating from these non-places get a regular dousing of pesticide. A sign reads 'These trees have been poisoned'.  Juvenile brush boxes hug the edge of the cliff site,  retaining the soil close to the walk way. This endemic coastal rain forest tree has a colourful bark and white flowers.

Leading down steep stairs to the lagoon more tree stumps grace the walk and indicate that it is a culture scape. Till in the 70s this water body has been described as 'a pristine water hole'. Now it stinks and appears to be a health hazard. "A decade on and the lagoon is choked with silt, weeds, pollution and rubbish." It is still fringed by a bit of native vegetation, if not annexed by the properties hugging the stream. A shy yellow-billed spoonbill (Platalea flavipes) is wading in the foul slime-covered waters searching for food. What option has it got but this human sewer?


More houses are directly ON the beach sprouting stumps and green lawn. Unusual white quartz, pumice accumulates here on the sand. Native Pandanus and Crinum pedunculatum scent the air in a positive way - but the stench wins.

At the beach packs of dogs are let loose. Wildlife like plovers and goannas flee to make way for these feces and urine depositing machines. Most of the poo remains. Even as a human being one does not feel that one's safety is guaranteed. The hyper abundance of canines without effective enforcement makes this a 'backgarden of pet enthusiasts' only. Australian wildlife and walkers/ visitors find themselves in a stinking, noisy and threatening place.



The ocean/surf also smells off-putting which makes one wonder about the sewage arrangements of concrete coastal sprawl. Looking back to the cliff one has spectacular views of the human-made erosion from eradicating the cliff vegetation. Landslides are just there where trees have been poisoned and killed. The beach also seems to erode rapidly in this coal-fuelled climate.

Hazard reduction burning kills

Particle matter pollution (PM2.5 & PM10) from 'unavoidable' burning is killing and hospitalising people every year. All beings that breathe are affected but those who are vulnerable, such as children, the elderly and sick people are more affected. Not only do they kill people who are already not in perfect adult health but they also cause illnesses including coughs, asthma and other lung conditions. They may also trigger heart attacks.

"Particles smaller than 10 micrometres (µm) in diameter (PM10) are consistently associated with increased mortality and hospital admissions for people with both heart and lung disease."

"Because of their smaller size, these particles can be inhaled more deeply into the lungs where the irritation can cause coughs, asthma and other lung conditions. Some are small enough to pass into the bloodstream through the finest blood vessels of the lungs where they can trigger heart attacks in people with existing lung or heart conditions and impact more severely on children and the elderly."
Harmful ozone causing further respiratory damage is also promoted by burning. "Hazard reduction burns are potentially significant sources of ozone precursors".

"Emissions from human activities are sufficient to cause regular exceedances of the AAQ NEPM standards."

When compared, it would appear that hazard reduction burning is more dangerous to human life than bushfires are, but that bushfires are more hazardous to property. Especially heap fires which are not 'unavoidable' could immediately be stopped to protect the air quality in rural areas. But perhaps hazard reduction burning might also be minimised to save lives with property as collateral.


Source:
http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/soe/soe2012/chapter2/chp_2.1.htm#2.1.9

More on the rendering of large parts of the earth uninhabitable:
Many fires in New South Wales, Australia, NASA's Aqua satellite, July 11

Hazard reduction in Bongil Bongil National Park.

Local residents welcome new vegetation clearing laws with open arms.

Scientists show a drier Australia is primarily caused by greenhouse gases, thinning in ozone layer

Rainfall decline in south-west Australia linked to climate change 


Updates:
Mark Z. Jacobson. Effects of biomass burning on climate, accounting for heat and moisture fluxes, black and brown carbon, and cloud absorption effects. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 2014; DOI: 10.1002/2014JD021861

Sydneysiders choking on the air they breathe, SMH 082014

Hazard Reduction burns rescheduled due to health warnings about smoke, rfs. NSW, 0814

Increased air pollution from bushfires is among the rising threats facing NSW residents as global warming makes blazes more likely, according to a new report by the Climate Council. SMH 1014

Smoke from agricultural land-clearing fires linked to tornado intensity, 022015

P. E. Saide, S. N. Spak, R. B. Pierce, J. A. Otkin, T. K. Schaack, A. K. Heidinger, A. M. da Silva, M. Kacenelenbogen, J. Redemann, G. R. Carmichael. Central American biomass burning smoke can increase tornado severity in the U.S. Geophysical Research Letters, 2015; DOI: 10.1002/2014GL062826

"There is nothing left of an emu-wren after a fire, not even a pile of ash" inappropriate fires  abc

Fire hazard reduction strategy in Tasmania targets private land for first time. Asthma sufferers have been warned to expect more smoke."You may be killed by flame, but you can just as easily be killed by smoke and you're just as dead," Mr Dow-Sainter said. abc 23.03.2015

Severe storms on mid north coast unusually consistent

"The Weather Bureau says consistency of recent severe storms on mid north coast is 'unusual'

The Bureau of Meteorology said it is unusual to have so many severe storms on the mid north coast at this time of year....Afternoon thunderstorms have struck parts of the coast every day for the past week....Many parts of the region have already exceeded their average monthly rainfall for November....Forecaster Michael Logan said storms at this time of year are to be expected but not quite as many...."But to have every afternoon for a week back to back to back without a break is pretty rare."...The Dorrigo Plateau was covered in a blanket of white after a severe hailstorm yesterday afternoon."  abc 191113

Sawtell Hail Storm 161113
Hail storm in Bellingen 131113