In the slow and relentless way that climate change will impact on us, these dust storms, like the Victorian fires and the Murray flow, are warning signs we should heed. I would like an assessment of ground cover in the NSW Western Division, all leasehold land. If it is more than 30% denuded then we have a big problem that the landlord (Premier Rees) may need to think about.

Pablo, next you will say that climate change caused the earthquakes in the Pacific! Bunch of alarmists.

Pablo, you are seriously clutching at straws mate. The dust storm has nothing to do with global warming, or climate change, or whatever its called these days. Its natural and has happened year after year. The Victoria fires were as bad as they were simply because there it bugger all backburning and fire prevention happening because of the greenies, and bushfires are a natural occurance. Bush needs fire to regenerate. The Murry Darling, well, waste, mismanagement and daming has distroyed that ecosystem.

Arrrrgh... Run Nafe Uluru is coming this way 3rd time lucky.... Arrrgh!! lol I'm sick of hosing the house actually, 3rd time this month ! Could someone get God some Telfast for his hayfever this spring please!!

The dust has nothing to do with "global warming". its just wind picking up the dust from the western area. The Earth is just doing its own thing. It would be doing the same thing if no people lived on the planet.

Plenty of denialists in Newcastle it seems.

I'm a geography teacher and I believe in global warming. The dust storms of late have been unusual but there is nothing yet that I can see which links them to global warming. If dust storms happen every year from now on, however, then it IS an indication of climate change because what was once a highly unusual occurrence has become regular.

we're all going to die hanrahan

One salient oversight, what does it matter that you are a geography teacher? Can you tell us where the dust came from? Or the demographics of the community? Or the capital of Denmark? Maybe the amount of dust has more to do with the amount of land clearing undertaken, or the fact that dust storms have occurred for the history of time, and the media now knows that anything to do with changes in the environment will help sell papers to the new green middle class.

Some of you people need to get yourselves an education. The two greatest proponents of Man Made Global Warming are Nicholas Stern and the Australian guy Garnaut. Public posers and Economists. NOT in anyway Scientifically credible. These and other "scientists" like Algore are focused on the public purse from which Global warming dollars will be used to keep many grants going to study this political phenomena. The impact of Man made CO2 on nature can barely be measured and CO2 is one of the few things we should not feel guilty about as a species. There is lots of real dangerous pollution which politicians are hiding behind AGW. For the Educators among us it should be noted that the British Parliament has categorised AlGores inconvenient movie as scientifically flawed. This dust was caused by Nature. Man has others things to feel guilty about. This is not one of them.