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How would you keep the Outback green? I'm no climate scientist, but I've wondered why it is the way it is. Is it due to the lack of a mountain range on the Australian west coast, so the air doesn't get pushed up to cool?

Edit I forgot in this imagined world we have 'free' energy, so you can just pump water in.




From what I understand, Australia has a lot of temporary lakes that only fill after extreme rain, then dry out soon after.

So if you could keep lakes such as Lake Eyre (though it's salty) and others full, that would encourage plant growth, and coverage.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Eyre

I can't find a link, but there's a theory (and I don't know if it's been discredited), but once again, because humans settled into Australia they displaced mega-fauna and generally ruined the ecosystem in Australia and the Outback now is what it is. Even today, there's a story doing the rounds about how free roaming bison in the US double the plant biodiversity of the plains just by trampling on stuff.

There are all sorts of plans to irrigate Australia such as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradfield_Scheme




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