What is it? Desalination is the process of removing salt and other minerals from seawater or other water sources in order to make the water suitable for drinking and irrigation. There are over 17,000 desal plants in the world   Desalination in WA We have two desalination plants: one in Kwinana and one in Binningup Over 40% of Perth's water needs (150 billion litres) are supplied by these plants every year Both plants operate using reverse osmosis   Pros and Cons Desalination is almost considered a short-term 'quick fix' in water supply and although it does not deplete dams or is reliant on rainfall, it has numerous other negative impacts on the environment such as: Requires a large amount of energy to operature resulting in emissions of fossil fuels Produced heavily concentrated brine that is pumped back into ocean & impacts marine life Expensive to build and operate, increasing cost of water bills

What is it? Genetic modification is when individual genes with specific desirable traits are transferred from one organism to another, for plants this means crops are altered to make them: Resistant to certain pests, insects and diseases Heat and drought tolerant Salt tolerant Able to withstand extreme weather   Examples of GM crops Types of genetically modified crops include wheat, rice, canola, cotton, maize, barley + more In Africa they have developed drought resistant maize that boosts harvest by 10-35% In Asia drought tolerant rice has been developed and can survive without water for 12 days In Australia, drought tolerant types of wheat are being trialled and do not require as much water and are more resistant to disease Genetically modified cotton that produced a protein which kills caterpillars Chickpeas withstand drought and hotter temp.   Samoa Instead of GM, in Samoa they are simply changing the type of crop to better suit Samoa's conditions. Long term crops that can withstand damage from harsh weather and bananas that can be harvested quickly.