Australian Wildfires
By: Soumya Joshi
Recently, the Australian government has declared a national emergency due to the massive fires erupting in predominantly the southern region of the country. Not only Australia, but the entire world is grieving over the worst wildfires seen in decades. Federal authorities have been struggling to control the extremely strong blazes. Because Australia is located in the Southern Hemisphere, the summer season starts from December till February, making the months susceptible to wildfires. But, this recent spread of fires was “unusually severe”.
The intensity of the fires is incredibly immense. New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria are the worst affected regions: the fires have burned five million hectares, destroying more than 2,000 houses. As seen in the picture below, the fires are threatening the surrounding areas of the current burnt land. It seems that there is no definite end to the fires because of the spreading embers. Furthermore, approximately ½ billion animals have been affected by these dangerous fires. The most serious destruction happened to the natural habitat of koalas; almost ⅓ of the koala population in NSW has died. Other species that have been greatly affected include possums, kangaroos, and wallabies. The smoke, containing plumes of black carbon, is another major disastrous outcome, impacting lives thousands of miles away in New Zealand.
Environmental scientists and ecologists are still debating the cause of the fires, but the extended drought conditions and dry lightning are the main reasons. Strong winds played a major role in spreading the fires, making them uncontrollable to contain. The Australian police have arrested over two dozen people who are suspected to have deliberately caused the fire. Climate change is also a major contributor to the fires as the prolonged periods of heat are causing the fires to persist. 1,600 firefighters are putting efforts to lessen their spread.
I applaud everyone who has donated towards the efforts in preventing the fires and those who show concern for this catastrophe. Currently, more than 1,600 firefighters are constantly working to lessen the severity of the fires, and I honor the American firefighters who have voluntarily traveled to Australia to help out. Over the past couple of months, watching this beautiful country burn to ashes is indescribably heartbreaking. All over social media and the news, we have seen the disastrous results of these fires. Videos of koalas seeking shelter in the black landscape are ingrained in my mind. Pictures of those crying near the wreckage that was once called “home” cannot leave my thoughts. The situation is simply devastating. Unfortunately, there is no magic button to reverse what has happened. However, we all can look towards a new horizon and rise from the adversities.
Discussion Questions:
How did you feel after discovering about the current conditions in Australia?
Do you believe that climate change is the main reason for the fires?
What are some ways that you can raise awareness?
Sources:
27 comments:
When I heard about the fires in Australia, I remember feeling a sinking feeling as I looked into it more and figured out the consequences of these fires. It is heartbreaking to think about the thousands of animals that have died, and the homes being lost, and all of the devastation to the land. However, I also read many stories of the rescue efforts being carried out, and the hundreds of animal lives rescuers have saved, which is optimistic. So I definitely think there is room to be hopeful, and know that there are many who fight the dark times. I think we can raise awareness about the fires by spreading the news about these rescuers and helpers doing a lot of good in Australia, and not just report the bad.
The fires in Australia are truly devastating but I think that, in a sense, it was a necessary evil to bring attention to the oncoming dangers of global warming. While global warming could have very likely been a cause of this fire, other factors may have come into play. For example, such a fire could have been the result of kids playing with fireworks or a cigarette thrown from a car window. The list of possible causes of the fire are endless, rather, we should focus on how we can prevent such things from happening in the future. Creating more man-made rivers of lakes across the Australian wilds could help combat fires such that they are unable to grow so large.
I feel like the conditions in Australia are truly eye-opening, in the fact that it now directs our attention to the drastic effects of climate change. I feel like climate change and human involvement are factors that ultimately lead to the massive frame/land size of the fire. Regarding human involvement, the fire could have easily been sent ablaze by a spark or malfunction by a car or a controlled-turned-uncontrolled burn. Overall, I feel like both humans and climate change (which is caused by humans) are to blame for the fires. Some ways we can raise awareness are through posts on social media, including news sites, and through overall use of daily interactions to spread the message.
It is absolutely devastating that this natural disaster is occurring on such a large scale in Australia. Because Australia is known to possess such great biodiversity, these fires will lead to a particularly great loss in biodiversity and habitats. This loss of biodiversity means that these Australian species will be even more susceptible to endangerment by future environmental disruptions. These fires have lead to many endangered animals to hang on to the edge of extinction.
It is very unfortunate for Australia’s environment to be enduring a such a detrimental situation. I feel very sorrowful for the environments in Australia, but at the same time I believe that the environments will be able to get through this natural disaster one way or the other. I feel as overall anthropogenic activities and global warming have large contributions to the fire. Humans needs to foster a conscience about the consequences of any careless actions they commit. Some ways I can raise awareness is through social media and donations. Honestly, the Australian fires have obtained world-wide awareness, and people are coming together to help the environment overcome the tragedy.
When I found out about the wild fires in Australia I was devastated because it was on social media so I was able to see the poor animals and how they were affected by the fires. It was really sad, especially because I really can’t do anything about it. I wish I could, but there isn’t much I can do. I believe that climate change definitely plays a major role in an environments suseptability to fires, especially if a hundred years ago there used to be far less fires. I think it all depends on the climate of the environment, if its dry or wet, warm or cold, etc. It is sad to see that the kohalas are almost completely extinct especially because now it is going to be extremely hard for the whole ecosystem of Australia to bounce back from this devastation.
When I first heard about the fires, I was saddened. I remember watching tv shows and documentaries showing the beautiful diversity that is found in Australia. Hearing that Australia, which has some of the most unique creatures on Earth, was having devastating fires, I hoped that it would not be as severe as it had now turned out to be. I believe, due to the intensity of the fires, that the climate change may have played a significant role in causing the fires since one of the defining characteristics of climate change is that it increases the number of severe weather events. Donating money or even just talking to people I know is probably the best way to raise awareness.
Although the wildfires in Australia at the moment are extremely detrimental to the ecosystems present there, there may be light at the end of the tunnel for us. Despite all of the bad news and negative light brought by these inextinguishable fires, some good new arises: this one piece of optimism is that awareness has been raised in extreme amounts regarding our own environment as well as the global climate change that comes along with it. Some ways that I personally may be able to spread awareness is to encourage others to donate to the cause or maybe just educate others on the matter. This in turn would lead to a highly reduced amount of those that are in the dark.
Some ways that I can raise awareness are by making posters and spreading the word about wildfires. I could make posters that highlight the devastating impacts of the wildfires and list ways that everyday people like myself can help. Additionally, I could talk to my local town council to help start a charity campaign that goes to helping supply materials and tools needed to prevent wild fires.
It hurts me to see millions of animals getting killed in Australia by such a catastrophic event. This hurts, even more, to see that this could have been prevented. Yes, I believe climate change is one of the main reasons behind the fires but there is a lot of specific human activities that contribute to the fires. One of the causes of global warming is the severely arid and dry climates which is more susceptible to wildfires. To build awareness in my community, I can educate my community about the negative effects of climate change including the killing of many innocent animals in order to protect our future generations.
Hearing about the conditions in Australia I was terrified. Watching the animals suffer in the Fire was really scary and sad. This happens often in Australia, and we never did anything about it until this year. I do believe the that climate change was the main reason for this massive fire. Also hearing about that the koalas might go extinct is unbelievable. Right now there is really no way to being the koalas back to a big population unless they are being protected in a safe environment like the zoo where they can stay till breeding season and until the population grows.
I was shocked when I heard about the fires in Australia. I was surprised because I knew fires like this happened every year, but these are much more aggressive and destructive than the ones that have previously happened. When most people think of Australia, they usually think of the great diversity of the country, and these fires so devastating is the loss of plants and animals. Global warming has increased temperatures in Australia and the arid conditions, and these are the some of the reasons for the destruction. In my opinion, one of the best ways to raise awareness is to just talk to people and donating money.
The Australia fires are extremely devastating and it is sad how they did not get the press they needed until later. I cannot believe that the koalas are almost extinct because of one natural disaster. I did not know that some cause of the fire was human related. Those people deserve to be in jail and I’m glad there are strict laws about that. I hope that soon everything will be okay and that the animals get the help they need. I do believe that climate change is a big factor in the fires.
I was in disbelief when I found out about the Australian wildfires. I was mainly shocked by the fact that koalas are almost extinct. All the animals in Australia are in danger due to a natural disaster. We need to help in anyway we can. We need to come to come together, and raise awareness about the tragedy in Australia. We need to donate money to help the issue in Australia, and save the lives of the plants and animals in Australia.
I feel sorry for the animals that have been affected by the Australia fires. I do believe that Climate Change is the primary factor that caused the wildfires to rage through Australia. Before reading this post I did not know that humans were responsible for the fires caused. I think that to help Australia I can donate to agencies that are working to rescue animals that are put in harm. Some of my friends have payed to adopt koalas and I think that is a really good idea to help Australian animals in a very cost efficient way
I felt sad after discovering the current conditions in Australia. I do believe that climate change is one of the main reason for the fires as it could have caused the drought.I can raise awareness by talked to everyone I know. BY telling everyone about the horrible situation people can continue to donate to charity and help those in need
I recently watched a video on YouTube of a girl vlogging her escape from the fires. The sky had an orange-brown color and debris was blowing everywhere. She was panicked because she had waited until the last minute to evacuate and ended up having to drive right by a forest fire. I didn’t even think about all the animals that were caught in the fire and it’s very sad to hear about the possible extinction of koalas. Even if global climate wasn’t the cause of the fires, it certainly helped them last.
It is truly haeartbreaking to hear about what happened in Australia. I was not aware that some of the fire could have been attributed to humans. The good news now is the in the last few days, the fires in Australia have been declared contained for the first time since these fires started months ago- and I think that is cause for hope. I am grateful for the first responders who risked their lives to save lives and contain the fires; now we can look towards recovery thanks to their efforts. However, awareness of the damage needs to increase so that the Australian ecosystem can start to regenerate. I can raise awareness by telling my friends, family, and local government about it.
The ongoing condition in Australia is deeply heartbrraking and motivates me to be more environmentaly conscious as something as simple as a spark can develop into billions of animal life loss. I do believe climate change is the main reason for the fires because of the ongoing drought in the immeanse heat waves of the summer in Australia. Had there been rainfall, the destruction of the wildfires could have been drastically reduced. I don't believe I could change the awareness of the situation because if the mass abundance of social media trends of donating and spreading word of the wildfires, I think the people that would help end the wildfires would have already known about them.
After reading about the conditions in Australia, I feel like we should bring more awareness to the subject. I saw a news story a couple of weeks ago about the wildfires and it was so sad to watch. The conditions are getting worse and worse and people, have just forgotten. I believe that climate change is the main reason for the fires in Australia, and this issue also needs to be brought to peoples attention. Climate change is the building block it the issue of wildfires, so if we can be aware of the first condition, we may be able to prevent the next. Even though it is hard for one individual to make a difference, if we all spread the word thorough platforms such as social media and the news, I believe that the issue can be resolved or maintained.
I have been hearing about the Australian wildfires since they started happening this year, but I did not realize the severity of them until reading this article. After learning more about the wildfires, I feel concerned for the safety of the animals and people of Australia. I feel that this issue is far beyond Australia's control and there is little we can do to prevent them to keep happening. I feel very sad when I see the pictures fo the koalas and other animals suffering from the damage that wildfires have done to their habitat. I believe that there are many reasons for the wildfires, but climate change is probably one of the most prominent problems. The global warming phenomenon has caused the climate in many nations to be out of control and unpredictable. The continuous rising of temperatures has definitely triggered these wildfires in Australia. Some ways I can raise the awareness of the Australian wildfires is discussing it with friends and family. There are many generous people out there that would be willing to donate to the cause if we just spread the word. The best way I can do this is either show them this blog post or ones similar to it so they know the severity of the wildfires. Because like me before reading this post, many people are aware of the issue, but do not realize how severe it is. We need to start raising awareness soon in order for there to be a chance of salvaging whats left of the many destructed areas.
Learning about the drastic situation in Australia is extremely concerning as Australia is home to some of the world’s most unique wildlife. I do believe that climate change was a key contributor to the increased intensity and devastation of the fires. In the report it was stated that fires around summer time in Australia’s southern region are but that this year’s fires were unusually intense. This leads me to believe that global warming and climate change played a key roll in the fires due to their tendencies to cause extreme weather and disasters. I believe that spreading information of Australia’s current conditions on social media and pro,moving donation sites for relief efforts are two easy ways an individual could make a difference.
I was shocked to see how many lives the wildfires have impacted, mostly because I did not realize the severity of what climate change can cause. Although climate change is a likely cause, another possibility could be as simple as someone tossing a cigarette into a forest. Overall, I believe the cause of the fires is a combination of climate change and human activities. The best way to spread awareness of the wildfires is through the biggest platform of our generation: social media.
It’s dreadful for us to hear that lots of species in Australia have gone extinct due to wildfires. In social media, I’ve recently seen how bad Australia condition was. Because a lot of koalas were wiped out, foxes had to nurture the baby koala. I do believe that climate change is one of the main reasons why wildfires started. For us to raise awareness, we need to prevent ourselves from disrupting the ocean current, water pollution. There’s nothing else we can do to retrieve extincted species, but we can prevent the endangered species of going extinct.
After I discovered the current conditions in Australia at first I kind of didn’t pay close attention to it thinking it could’ve just been a small fire and nothing else. But I looked more into it online and through this blog and honestly I was shocked on how horribly affected thousands of peoples homes but also for the animals that lived around the area. I started seeing a whole lot of posts on social media on the issue and I kind of was guilty for underestimating the devastation that happened in Australia.
It's summer season in Australia and it's been a season from hell. Raging fires have devastated the continent, sizzling a reported 27 million acres and killing 33 people. Bushfires are a section of existence in Australia and they're frequently deadly. But the scale of these fires is unprecedented. Areas throughout a couple of states have ignited. Australian cities have suffocated in smoke, on some days giving residents the worst air exceptional in the world. And in accordance to one estimate, a billion animals have been killed. Scientists say local weather trade is transforming Australia's environment, making it hotter and drier, thus proving why I think Austalia’s Climate Change has influenced the wildfires in the area.
To be honest, at first when I heard about the fires in Australia, I didn’t really think much of them because I just figured it happens all the time and it doesn’t really affect me anyways. But now after hearing so many of the details and reading new stuff about it every day, I can tell that this is a very serious issue. I guess climate change is probably a good reason for why the fires are getting so much worse because I don’t really know what else it would be. I could probably raise awareness of this issue by talking to other people about it.
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