Bushfires rage through Australia - A bushfire burns near the town of Bumbalong, south of Canberra on February 2.
National response is necessary to secure Australia’s bushfire future
By Patryk Krych | The World Daily | OCTOBER 30th 2020
An enquiry found that the recent stream of terrible bushfires that tore through the Australian bush in early 2020 could happen again if a national response isn’t put forward, implementing a change to the country’s state of emergency laws as well as different climate projections.
On Friday, a royally commissioned enquiry into the Australian bushfire, often referred to now as the worst bushfire season of the generation, found the future outlook of the heated seasons in the country “alarming” and with a high chance of repeats. The inevitability of climate change will entirely assure that the fire season and its damage to both economy and wildlife will occur yet again.
The darkly memorable fire season had been dubbed the Australian Black Summer, and had led to the deaths of at least 34 people since October 2019 when the flames first sparked to a concerning degree, although 445 deaths were linked to the resulting poor air quality.
Along with this, the fires had also killed a shocking number of animals – three billion, according to scientists who referred to the tragedy as one of the “worst wildlife disasters in modern history.”
In the 1,000-page report, more than 80 recommendations were made to the government. There was especial concern being put towards national response efforts, as well as analysing the laws around Australia’s state of emergency warnings with insistence that the laws be changed to apply to such emergencies on a country-wide basis.
“What was unprecedented is now our future,” said former air force chief Mark Binskin in the report, having chaired the enquiry. “Australia’s alarming disaster outlook requires these improvements. This opportunity should not be lost.”
The report went on to state that 59 million acres were scorched as a cause of these fires, a dangerously high number. There was also an insistence that as the years press on, the effects of global warming and a changing climate will only gradually exacerbate the situation and possibly lead to more deaths and damages.
More than 20% of Australia’s forests were burned as a result of the fires. The situation only perpetuates itself, as the onset of climate change is caused by an increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere – something trees happen to release when burned. The more such fires spread and the less that is done about them, the worse the situation will get on its own. Hence the necessity for such reports.
