Environment Australia Fires

By: Jonathan Wiggins

Fires of almost biblical proportions have swept across the country of Australia, devastating land, property and wildlife. There have been fires in every Australian state, but New South Wales has been hit the hardest. Blazes have torn through bushland, wooded areas, and national parks like the Blue Mountains. Some of Australia's largest cities have also been affected, including Melbourne, and Sydney, where these fires have damaged homes in the outer suburbs and thick plumes of smoke have blanketed the urban center. More than 30 people have been killed, a billion animals have died, and more than 3,000 homes have been burned down. The cost of the bushfires have been estimated at 2 billion and could climb further. Although heavy rain and lower temperatures this month have helped put out some fires, the threat of the blaze coming back is still imminent. 

The harrowing and apocalyptic scenes coming out of Australia are only the beginning of a new normal in which climate change will result in climate apartheid. Those with the means and the resources will leave climate catastrophe zones or otherwise protect themselves from the worst effects of climate change, while poor communities and nations of the Global South, indigenous people of colour will bear the brunt. Meanwhile, global corporations will continue to lobby governments to take little action on climate change and continue to undermine the efforts of climate activists. 

Each year there is a fire season during the Australian summer, with hot, dry weather making it easy for blazes to start and spread. Natural causes are to blame most of the time, the lightning strikes in drought-affected forests. Dry lightning was responsible for starting a number of fires in Victoria's East Gippsland region in late December, which then traveled more than 20 kilometers in just five hours. Fire season in Australia is always dangerous. The 2009 Black Saturday fires killed 173 people in Victoria, making it the deadliest bushfire disaster on record. But conditions have been unusually severe this year, fanning the flames and making firefighting conditions difficult. Australia is currently experiencing one of its worst droughts in decades. Strong winds have also made the fires and smoke spread more rapidly, and have led to fatalities. 

State and federal authorities have been working to combat the fire crisis for months. Victoria declared a state of disaster and NSW declared a state of emergency, both granting extraordinary powers and additional government resources to battle the fires. The state of Queensland also briefly declared a state of emergency in November. There are more than 2,000 firefighters working on the ground in NSW alone, and more support is on the way. The US, Canada, and New Zealand have sent additional firefighters to help. Unfortunately, Australia is only about halfway through its summer season. Normally, temperatures peak in January and February, meaning the country could be months away from finding relief. The fires are unlikely to end entirely since they are an annually occurring event, and may even get worse if recent years are a guide.