Australian Bushfires
they have been in rapid growth since June 2019, particularly in new south wales and other areas close to the capital Sydney , however the bushfire of 14th January 2020 has been recognized as the worst by the NSW Rural Fire Service in Australia , it caused loss of 18.6 million hectares that included ( Homes , Buildings , animal’s habitat), It also led to a high rate of death and a decrease in the overall quantity of wildlife, not only threatening locals lives but also threatening the balance within the ecosystem due to decrease in the quantity of certain species almost leading to extinction.
What caused the bushfire?
There are many factors that contribute to causing fires such as drought, lighting, rising levels of CO2, High temperature as well as for Wind. Scientists suggest that if temperature keeps rising which it is by far 41.9 C, The fires will continue to happen and spread even more, Adding to it the oxygen in the air works as an oxidizer which means it fuels fire, making it worse and harder to put down.
Some scientist disagree on linking the causes of the bushfires to climate change and high temperatures , Ecologist Dr. Glenda Wardle Said and I Quote “ not every weather event is the result of climate change but when you see trends it becomes linked to global climate change” . Another Scientist Dr. Imran Ahmed climate scientist at the Australian national university states and I quote “it’s a direct link, as climate change escalates natural hazards”.
Actions being taken towards the crisis
- NSW Rural Fire Service of Australia (Fundraising), which many celebrities contributed to such as pink, kylie morgue, Nicole Kidman, Elton john, and many others raising up to more than 30 million $.
- Celebrities sharing the information on their social media to raise more funds
- Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery (fundraising), which many athletes contributed to such as Shane Warne and nick Kyrgios, raising up to more than 2 million $
- Australian unpaid volunteers spared their time to help save what they can.
- Australian Police, Navy Forces, and Fire fighters were in hand.
- The Animal Rescue Craft: knitting blankets and protective pouches for surviving animals that lost their natural habitat.
- Paris Agreement took place with a goal of working to reduce bushfires by 26 to 28% by the year 2030, by finding solutions to tackle rising temperatures.
- Support of other countries such as: USA, Canada, New Zealand, and Singapore.
The consequences of bushfire
On health:
Can lead to asthma, respiratory infections, chronic diseases, sinus infections, and eventually death.
On Environment:
1-Loss of biodiversity
2- Decrease in water supplies
3- Higher levels of Carbon dioxide or CO2 (pollution)
4- Speeding up the melting process of ice in close regions
Was Australia warned about this though?
Australian scientists such as (CSIRO) conducted many studies that claim bushfire season in Australia is more likely to start earlier and much worse than It used to, Therefore climate change and other signs that are related to rare weather conditions should be observed carefully, Enable to be prepared for it, However Morison’s liberal party , Also known as the conservatives, opposed those claims, Even though bushfire season has been getting worse by time , Which supports the scientists claims. And other than that there’s the increase of hospitalization through the bushfire seasons.
Journalism JRN 215 