January 3, 2020
Wildfires have been burning out-of-control in Australia since July of 2019. That's not hyperbole: the entire country has been ravaged by fire since July in one of the worst wildfire seasons in decades. Spring of 2019 was the driest on record. A heatwave in December broke the record for highest national average temperature, with temperatures in some locations topping out between 113-120 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, some fires have been fought for months at a time. Strong winds have pummeled large areas of the country, causing fires and smoke to spread more widely and rapidly. Dry lightning and arson have also been to blame
Before I go any further, let's talk a little bit about Australian geography. The continent is divided up into six provinces, plus Tasmania, an island off the southeastern coast. The provinces are: Queensland, in the northeast, New South Wales (NSW), in the southeast (where Melbourne and Sydney are located), Victoria, a small province in southeastern-most Australia, Northern Territory, in north-central Australia, South Australia, constituting south-central Australia, and Western Australia, consisting of both the northwestern and southwestern parts of the country.
Right now around 200 fires are burning countrywide, with the majority found in NSW and Victoria. Seventeen people have died. There are fears the fires could get worse due to climbing temperatures. The forecast for this weekend shows temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit along the south coast. In Victoria, 83 homes went up in smoke just this past week. The military has helped thousands of people evacuate to the shore, the majority of whom are tourists.
In Western Australia, the main road into the province has been closed. The Dept. of Fire and Emergency Services says Eyre Highway will remain closed for at least five days. New fires continue to ignite, and the resulting "erratic infernos" are the cause of the shutdown. A number of residents have encountered roadblocks, leaving them stranded, with minimal supplies, for days.
Fires in Queensland started burning in September. Evacuations for those living in the Peregian Springs area were ordered in mid-December. In South Australia, the wine industry has been hard hit, and in the Northern Territory, extreme heat led to fire bans and emergency warnings earlier in the year. Nationwide, 12.35 million acres have been destroyed. There are 2,000 firefighters working in NSW alone, and the US, Canada and New Zealand are providing additional support.
I can do no better than end with Greta Thunberg's words about Australia's dire situation:
"Not even catastrophes like these seem to bring any political action. How is this possible?
Because we still fail to make the connection between the climate crisis and increased extreme weather events and nature disasters like the #AustraliaFires
That's what has to change.
Now."
With thanks to CNN and Global News.
Wildfires have been burning out-of-control in Australia since July of 2019. That's not hyperbole: the entire country has been ravaged by fire since July in one of the worst wildfire seasons in decades. Spring of 2019 was the driest on record. A heatwave in December broke the record for highest national average temperature, with temperatures in some locations topping out between 113-120 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, some fires have been fought for months at a time. Strong winds have pummeled large areas of the country, causing fires and smoke to spread more widely and rapidly. Dry lightning and arson have also been to blame
Before I go any further, let's talk a little bit about Australian geography. The continent is divided up into six provinces, plus Tasmania, an island off the southeastern coast. The provinces are: Queensland, in the northeast, New South Wales (NSW), in the southeast (where Melbourne and Sydney are located), Victoria, a small province in southeastern-most Australia, Northern Territory, in north-central Australia, South Australia, constituting south-central Australia, and Western Australia, consisting of both the northwestern and southwestern parts of the country.
Right now around 200 fires are burning countrywide, with the majority found in NSW and Victoria. Seventeen people have died. There are fears the fires could get worse due to climbing temperatures. The forecast for this weekend shows temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit along the south coast. In Victoria, 83 homes went up in smoke just this past week. The military has helped thousands of people evacuate to the shore, the majority of whom are tourists.
In Western Australia, the main road into the province has been closed. The Dept. of Fire and Emergency Services says Eyre Highway will remain closed for at least five days. New fires continue to ignite, and the resulting "erratic infernos" are the cause of the shutdown. A number of residents have encountered roadblocks, leaving them stranded, with minimal supplies, for days.
Fires in Queensland started burning in September. Evacuations for those living in the Peregian Springs area were ordered in mid-December. In South Australia, the wine industry has been hard hit, and in the Northern Territory, extreme heat led to fire bans and emergency warnings earlier in the year. Nationwide, 12.35 million acres have been destroyed. There are 2,000 firefighters working in NSW alone, and the US, Canada and New Zealand are providing additional support.
I can do no better than end with Greta Thunberg's words about Australia's dire situation:
"Not even catastrophes like these seem to bring any political action. How is this possible?
Because we still fail to make the connection between the climate crisis and increased extreme weather events and nature disasters like the #AustraliaFires
That's what has to change.
Now."
With thanks to CNN and Global News.
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