Australia has had a really grim start to 2020 with the bush fires causing devastating and irreversible damage to the life and property. And while bushfires were a common occurrence for Australians that they witnessed every year due to dry climate, this year was larger than ever seen before -- because of climate change.?
Nerile Abram, a professor working with the Australian Research Council¡¯s Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, said in a statement to Reuters, ¡°We¡¯re been really caught off-guard by these fires. Scientifically, it¡¯s not surprising. We totally expected that as the climate warmed, fires in Australia would get worse. But the scale of this disaster is something I couldn¡¯t have imagined, and it¡¯s the same for a lot of people in Australia.¡±
The blazing fire has burnt over 2000 homes, over 25 million acres of land -- larger than the size of the entire state of Bihar. It has also made it the driest year in the history of Australia, while completely surrounding cities like Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide with smoke. It has also killed around a billion wild animals, including over 30 percent of the population of Koalas in the nation.
One of the main reasons being pointed for such severity is the change witnessed in the climatic conditions, resulting in a hotter and drier climate, making the already delicate situation worse. Currently, the planet is 1.1 degrees hotter than the climate during pre-industrial times and this is the case, however, it is nowhere close to stopping. As per Abram, Earth is on track for the temperatures to rise over three degrees Celsius?due to the rising pollution and global warming levels.
What¡¯s sad is the fact that this isn¡¯t going to come down even if all the commitments noted under the Paris Agreement on climate change are adhered to.?
Researchers also feel that with the rising temperature, it¡¯ll get difficult for the flora and fauna to get back to normal. Iconic Australian trees species like banksias could soon disappear as they don¡¯t grow well in warm temperatures.
The fires have also destroyed natural habitats for numerous animals, that can make it difficult for them to survive in those conditions. It is also causing severe damage to the air quality of the country that can lead to breathing-related problems for citizens.
Abram feels that this occurrence could be a wake-up call that the nation¡¯s politicians need to take control of our environment and prevent worsening of climate.
¡°I hope this (fire) threat affecting such a large proportion of the Australian population will be the catalyst to really take this seriously. That could be one of the only positive things that comes out of this experience - if it¡¯s that wake-up call to see what climate change looks like.¡±