Australia fires: The town with no water in worst drought on record
4 years, 11 months ago

Australia fires: The town with no water in worst drought on record

CNN  

Murrurundi, Australia CNN — It’s 8 p.m. at the Royal Hotel in Murrurundi and the mercury is hovering at around 42 degrees Celsius. “Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of bushfire conditions in Australia and around the world,” according to the country’s Bureau of Meteorology. “It’s coal that has ensured for over 100 years that Australia has enjoyed an energy-competitive advantage that has delivered prosperity to Australian businesses.” Since then, Morrison’s climate rhetoric has softened a little – he has acknowledged the link between climate change and extreme weather, and asserted his commitment to reduce emissions. But he also said that the government would only pursue “sensible” policies, and that there wasn’t “a single policy, whether it be climate or otherwise,” that can fully protect Australia against the fires. “Originally I didn’t think we’d be able to hang on this long,” James Galbraith told CNN on his Southern Highlands cattle farm.

Climate Change Change Australia Climate Water Drought Coal Country South Cnn Dry Town Bill New South Wales Fires Murrurundi James Galbraith  drought  coal  climate  australia  town  water  record  south  murrurundi  fires  dry  worst  country  change

History of this topic

Climate extremes in 2024 wreaked havoc on global water cycle
2 days, 15 hours ago

Climate extremes in 2024 wreaked havoc on global water cycle

India Today  

The 2024 Global Water Monitor Report, led by The Australian National University, reveals alarming trends in the global water cycle, driven by unprecedented temperature increases. According to the report, 2024 marked the hottest year on record, with air temperatures over land rising by 1.2 degrees Celsius since the beginning of the century and approximately 2.2 degrees Celsius since the Industrial …

Searing heatwave grips southeast Australia, raises extreme bushfire risks
4 days, 15 hours ago

Searing heatwave grips southeast Australia, raises extreme bushfire risks

India Today  

Australia's southeast sweated in a heatwave that intensified on Sunday, elevating bushfire risk and prompting authorities to issue fire bans for more parts of Victoria state. Australia is in the grips of a high-risk bushfire season, with firefighters last week battling a large blaze that ripped through Victoria's Grampians National Park, razing homes and farmland. The nation's weather forecaster warned …

Bushfire risk lingers as country swelters under heatwave
3 weeks, 3 days ago

Bushfire risk lingers as country swelters under heatwave

ABC  

Rachel Mealey: Parts of Australia are sweltering in an extreme heatwave with temperatures expected to climb to 47 degrees in some areas, eclipsing December records. David Estcourt: Despite Cree Marshall's home in the town of White Cliffs being exposed to some of the most brutal temperatures today, she expects it to remain completely cool, even without air conditioning. Cree Marshall: …

Bayindeen bushfire still burning as Victoria and South Australia swelter through extreme weather
10 months, 1 week ago

Bayindeen bushfire still burning as Victoria and South Australia swelter through extreme weather

ABC  

In short: A catastrophic fire danger warning has been issued for communities in Victoria's far west today. Stay up to date on bushfire information For the latest warnings, visit the ABC Emergency website Listen to ABC Local Radio for regular updates — find your local broadcaster here Download the Vic Emergency app on your phone to receive official updates A …

Bureau of Meteorology and AFAC summer outlook looks hot across all corners of Australia, with heightened fire risk
1 year, 1 month ago

Bureau of Meteorology and AFAC summer outlook looks hot across all corners of Australia, with heightened fire risk

ABC  

Australia is not off the hook for hot summer temperatures and a heightened bushfire risk, despite heavy rain currently falling across the east. Key points: Large parts of Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory have an "increased risk of fire" this summer AFAC says the recent rains are welcome, but unlikely to undo the damage of a dry …

Australian Authorities Warn Citizens of Horrific Bushfire Season
1 year, 3 months ago

Australian Authorities Warn Citizens of Horrific Bushfire Season

News 18  

Warm winds fanned multiple blazes on Wednesday in an unusually early start to Australia’s annual fire season, prompting a state leader to warn of a “horror” summer of bushfires ahead. “Be prepared for a horror summer,” New South Wales Premier Chris Minns told a news conference in Bega. “Bushfires love this environment and it is devastating for regional communities in …

Another Black Summer for Australia? Residents told to Flee Victoria Bushfires
1 year, 3 months ago

Another Black Summer for Australia? Residents told to Flee Victoria Bushfires

News 18  

Firefighters warned people on Tuesday to flee or take shelter if it is too late to leave as warm, gusty winds fanned “very challenging” bushfires in Victoria, eastern Australia. People who had not yet left from another seven neighbourhoods were told to take shelter immediately because “it is too late to leave the area safely”. “We are experiencing spot fires …

Australian towns that are becoming uninsurable amid fears a warmer and drier summer will lead to bushfires
1 year, 3 months ago

Australian towns that are becoming uninsurable amid fears a warmer and drier summer will lead to bushfires

Daily Mail  

Towns on Australia's east coast are now regarded as most at risk of being uninsurable by 2030 because of bushfires - with a particularly hot spring and summer expected. Towns on Australia's east coast are now regarded as most at risk of being uninsurable by 2030 because of bushfires with a particularly hot spring and summer expected This would be …

Australia, scarred by bushfires, on high alert for dangerous summer
1 year, 3 months ago

Australia, scarred by bushfires, on high alert for dangerous summer

The Hindu  

Four years since bushfires destroyed wide swathes of southeastern Australia, killing 33, the country is once again on high alert, bracing for what weather experts say will be the hottest, driest period since the so-called Black Summer. "Once we've actually dried out the landscape from the wet conditions it's starting from, it could be that we end up with a …

'Australia is sleepwalking': A bushfire scientist explains what the Hawaii tragedy means for our flammable continent
1 year, 4 months ago

'Australia is sleepwalking': A bushfire scientist explains what the Hawaii tragedy means for our flammable continent

ABC  

As I hear reports of the fire tearing through the Hawaiian island of Maui, I feel utterly depressed. Northern Hemisphere inundated with climate disasters Photo shows Men in white shirts fight an orange blaze of fire As the global temperature hits a record high, the Northern Hemisphere is feeling the full impact of how climate change is hitting us hard …

Australia’s east faces ‘worst heatwave in two years’ as bushfires continue to rage
1 year, 10 months ago

Australia’s east faces ‘worst heatwave in two years’ as bushfires continue to rage

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Bushfires continue to burn across New South Wales as Sydney and some other parts of …

Bushfires in south-west WA impacted by global trend of drying Mediterranean climates
3 years, 10 months ago

Bushfires in south-west WA impacted by global trend of drying Mediterranean climates

ABC  

In the wake of the recent Wooroloo bushfires in Western Australia, fire experts have warned a long-term reduction in rainfall in the state's south-west is making blazes there worse. Key points: Serious bushfires are becoming more frequent in south-west Western Australia The increased frequency of serious fires is linked to a drying trend in the region Droughts and bushfires are …

BOM and CSIRO State of the Climate 2020 shows Australia is experiencing climate change now
4 years, 1 month ago

BOM and CSIRO State of the Climate 2020 shows Australia is experiencing climate change now

ABC  

The Bureau of Meteorology and the CSIRO have teamed up for the latest biannual report on the climate, and the findings are clear: Australia is experiencing climate change now, and the warming trend is continuing. Key points: Australia's climate has now warmed 1.44 ± 0.24 degrees Celsius since records began in 1910 Fire weather and extreme heat days are up, …

Australia faces more fires, drought as climate continues to heat
4 years, 1 month ago

Australia faces more fires, drought as climate continues to heat

Al Jazeera  

Country’s weather bureau says higher temperatures and less rainfall creating conditions for more extreme weather events. Australia’s climate is expected become hotter and drier, increasing the risk of drought and extreme weather events such as the bushfires that devastated swathes of southeastern Australia in the last southern hemisphere summer, according to the latest climate report from the country’s weather bureau. …

Bushfire royal commission's final report issues warning to Australia over climate change
4 years, 2 months ago

Bushfire royal commission's final report issues warning to Australia over climate change

ABC  

The bushfire royal commission's final report is a stark warning of a future marked by extreme weather impacts of climate change. "Extreme weather has already become more frequent and intense because of climate change; further global warming over the next 20 to 30 years is inevitable," they say. "The Bushfire Royal Commission has laid out the facts in no uncertain …

Australia wildfires probe recommends climate risk forecasts
4 years, 2 months ago

Australia wildfires probe recommends climate risk forecasts

Associated Press  

CANBERRA, Australia — An investigation into Australia’s catastrophic wildfire season on Friday recommended greater efforts to forecast the impacts of climate change on specific parts of the country, warning fire behavior was becoming more extreme. Discrepancies between states’ fire hazard mapping methods “make it difficult to measure risk at a national scale or to undertake comparative risk between regions.” “Improving …

Californian fires are mirroring Australia's Black Summer, experts say, driven by record drought and heat
4 years, 3 months ago

Californian fires are mirroring Australia's Black Summer, experts say, driven by record drought and heat

ABC  

Ken Pimlott once commanded a firefighting army. Key points: Record drought and heat are driving fires in the United States and Australia US firefighters are handling dozens of fires, but historically their most destructive fires are in October "Total war on fire" has been lost, one fire scientist says But even he concedes that this mighty force is being overwhelmed …

Bushfire royal commission looks to the past to show a troubling future
4 years, 7 months ago

Bushfire royal commission looks to the past to show a troubling future

ABC  

Six months ago, Australia was burning. While these predictions are not new, the last bushfire season showed the potential destruction when multiple events happen at once — drought, followed by fire, followed by flood. Worse still, the commission heard even if we do reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, the effect of a warming climate has "partially locked in" future extreme …

How extreme conditions drove Australia's record bushfire disaster
4 years, 10 months ago

How extreme conditions drove Australia's record bushfire disaster

ABC  

Highlighted fire scarring near Newcastle and Sydney on 30 January 2020 From above, Australia is a nation torched and scarred. Fires burn across Queensland and northern New South Wales on 14 September 2019 Imagery from the Japanese Himawari weather satellite shows plumes of smoke clearly visible from space. Highlighted fire scarring at Gospers Mountain, 21 December 2019 Satellite imagery from …

Deadly fires in Australia have made climate change converts, as in California
4 years, 10 months ago

Deadly fires in Australia have made climate change converts, as in California

LA Times  

The turning point came in 2017, when wind-whipped blazes swept through the foothills, jumped a freeway and burned through thousands of homes and businesses, killing more than 40 people. “No one can recall an event like this,” said Nick Clark, a farmer who lost most of his sheep’s pasture to a wind-driven fire on Southern Australia’s Kangaroo Island in mid-January. …

Rain has helped slow Australia's fires, but it's far from a knockout blow
4 years, 11 months ago

Rain has helped slow Australia's fires, but it's far from a knockout blow

ABC  

Rain across firegrounds in south-eastern Australia has slowed several blazes, but failed to provide the knockout blow authorities had hoped for. Key points: Some firegrounds received significant rainfall NSW's Rural Fire Service says about 20 blazes remain uncontained Downpours in Victoria meant the number of out-of-control fires dropped from 16 to 13 Light to moderate falls over the past week …

Relief as rain falls over Australian bushfires
4 years, 11 months ago

Relief as rain falls over Australian bushfires

Deccan Chronicle  

Nowra, Australia: Heavy rain fell across parts of fire-ravaged eastern Australia on Thursday and more wet weather was forecast, giving some relief following months of catastrophic blazes fuelled by climate change. “Relief is here for a number of firefighters working across NSW,” the state’s Rural Fire Service said in a social media post accompanying footage of rain falling in a …

Australia fires latest: Rain and hail pelt fire-ravaged states, bringing new risks – and potential relief
4 years, 11 months ago

Australia fires latest: Rain and hail pelt fire-ravaged states, bringing new risks – and potential relief

CNN  

Melbourne CNN — Severe thunderstorms are pelting some regions of Australia suffering from historic wildfires with powerful rain, bringing much-needed relief to firefighters battling the worst blazes the country has seen in decades. Lightning from the storms has sparked a number of new grass fires in New South Wales and Victoria, though it’s hoped the damp conditions will help stop …

The challenges faced by those working to contain and extinguish Australia's bushfires
4 years, 11 months ago

The challenges faced by those working to contain and extinguish Australia's bushfires

ABC  

Every day, new stories about how people and wildlife have been impacted by bushfires across Australia emerge. "I've never seen fire burn so quickly — because we're in such a dire drought there is no moisture on the ground," Mr Williams said. "We just can't put enough water out there large-scale waterbombers, even the supersize waterbombers — they can't carry …

Why are bushfires raging in Australia?
4 years, 11 months ago

Why are bushfires raging in Australia?

The Hindu  

The story so far: Australia’s bushfires have razed more than 10.3 million hectares of land — roughly the size of South Korea — since September. Climate models had indicated that the positive IOD may persist longer than typical events do — active right from May 2019 before peaking in October-November and decaying only during the first week of January 2020. …

Australia is burning. The Arctic is melting. Yet Trump keeps gutting climate change regulations.
4 years, 11 months ago

Australia is burning. The Arctic is melting. Yet Trump keeps gutting climate change regulations.

CNN  

CNN — Editor’s Note: A version of this story first published in September 2019. “Once we go beyond key tipping points – the melting of the major ice sheets – there is no going back.” Here’s a look at some of the most consequential climate policy rollbacks: Overhauling a landmark law requiring environmental assessments On January 9, the Trump administration …

Respite from Australian bushfire unlikely as weathermen rule out significant rain; temperatures may soar for few more months
5 years ago

Respite from Australian bushfire unlikely as weathermen rule out significant rain; temperatures may soar for few more months

Firstpost  

Australia’s weather agency sees no sign of cooler weather or significant rainfall in the next few months, an unwelcome forecast for authorities who have warned that only a large downpour will halt bushfires sweeping across the country Melbourne: Australia’s weather agency sees no sign of cooler weather or significant rainfall in the next few months, an unwelcome forecast for authorities …

Australians urged to evacuate as monster bushfires regenerate
5 years ago

Australians urged to evacuate as monster bushfires regenerate

Al Jazeera  

Hot temperatures and high winds expected to fan flames of blazes that have devastated parts of country since September. The Rural Fire Service in New South Wales state told fire-weary community meetings in coastal communities south of Sydney that northwesterly winds were likely to drive blazes towards the coast once again. “Don’t get complacent from the rain we have had …

Australian PM’s leadership criticized during wildfire crisis
5 years ago

Australian PM’s leadership criticized during wildfire crisis

Associated Press  

CANBERRA, Australia — As his country burned, Australia’s prime minister was cursed and jeered out of a town, called an “idiot,” a “moron” and worse, and skewered at home and abroad for his dismissive response toward climate change. The outpouring of frustration and rage from many Australians toward Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s lethargic wildfire response has been likened to the …

Australia’s leaders unmoved on climate action after devastating bushfires
5 years ago

Australia’s leaders unmoved on climate action after devastating bushfires

The Hindu  

Australia's government is sticking firmly to a position that there is no direct link between climate change and the country's devastating bushfires, despite public anger, the anguish of victims and warnings from scientists. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his Emissions Reduction Minister, Angus Taylor, say Australia does not need to cut carbon emissions more aggressively to limit global warming, even …

Australia Fires: Military deployed to keep deadly fires from spreading further — 'It's an atomic bomb,' say authorities
5 years ago

Australia Fires: Military deployed to keep deadly fires from spreading further — 'It's an atomic bomb,' say authorities

Firstpost  

Authorities claim that the evacuations are likely the largest peacetime maritime rescue operation in Australian history. “There’s nowhere safe,” said Liddy Lant, a hospital cleaner still in her uniform who had fled from her home on Saturday. “I could seriously just sit down and cry.” The Fire Commissioner of the Rural Fire Service in New South Wales, Shane Fitzsimmons, told …

Storms bring relief — and danger — to Australian wildfire regions
5 years ago

Storms bring relief — and danger — to Australian wildfire regions

LA Times  

Thunderstorms and showers brought some relief for firefighters battling deadly wildfires across Australia’s drought-parched east coast on Wednesday, but also raised concerns that lightning will spark more fires before dangerous hot and windy conditions return. Around 2,300 firefighters in New South Wales state were making the most of relatively benign conditions by frantically consolidating containment lines around more than 110 …

The bushfire crisis has given the Government a political 'out' to its climate change problem
5 years ago

The bushfire crisis has given the Government a political 'out' to its climate change problem

ABC  

The fires across Australia are taking a terrible toll. You need to lead It could be the turning point for Australia's climate change politics and policy that is so deeply in the ditch. The party of progress and social justice needs to stand for strong action on climate change, and for helping workers and communities in the transition that will …

Rain isn't always helpful fighting bushfires, so what will it take to put them out?
5 years ago

Rain isn't always helpful fighting bushfires, so what will it take to put them out?

ABC  

The heavens have reluctantly opened, bringing a few millimetres of rain to the scorched south-east, but authorities say it can actually hinder their efforts to fight bushfires. Key points: A cool change has brought temporary relief for the fire-ravaged south-east, but rain can hamper firefighting efforts Rain can prevent back-burning, making it harder to build control lines and lead to …

The bushfires are horrendous, but we can expect cyclones, floods and heatwaves too
5 years ago

The bushfires are horrendous, but we can expect cyclones, floods and heatwaves too

ABC  

Public attention on the disastrous bushfire crisis in Australia will rightly continue for weeks to come. Continental-scale droughts such as that experienced over the past few years are often broken by widespread heavy rains, leading to an increased risk of flooding, including potentially lethal flash floods. So even when the drought breaks and rains quell the fires, there will likely …

Q&A: How climate change, other factors stoke Australia fires
5 years ago

Q&A: How climate change, other factors stoke Australia fires

Associated Press  

Australia’s unprecedented wildfires are supercharged thanks to climate change, the type of trees catching fire and weather, experts say. Mike Flannigan, a fire scientist at the University of Alberta in Canada, said Australia’s fires are “an example of climate change.” A 2019 Australian government brief report on wildfires and climate change said, “Human-caused climate change has resulted in more dangerous …

Are the bushfires Scott Morrison's Hurricane Katrina moment that he can't live down?
5 years ago

Are the bushfires Scott Morrison's Hurricane Katrina moment that he can't live down?

ABC  

Hurricane Katrina was one of the worst natural disasters in US history. As people yell at the Prime Minister when he visits their devastated communities, or howl for his blood on social media, the story of Bush's failure to immediately recognise a catastrophe and the urgent need for leadership it represented tells us what problems are created by Scott Morrison's …

Yuvraj Singh terms Australia bushfire tragic
5 years ago

Yuvraj Singh terms Australia bushfire tragic

The Hindu  

Former India World Cup-winning all-rounder Yuvraj Singh on Thursday termed the raging bushfire in Australia as tragic, and said it’s time some action is taken against the serious issue of climate change. In the backdrop of this critical situation, Australia is set to host New Zealand in the third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground starting Friday. After Australia opener …

Australian prime minister is jeered in wildfire-ravaged zone
5 years ago

Australian prime minister is jeered in wildfire-ravaged zone

LA Times  

A helicopter dumps water on a wildfire outside the town of Batemans Bay in New South Wales, Australia, on Thursday. Locals in Cobargo, in New South Wales, yelled at him, made obscene gestures and called him an “idiot” and worse, criticizing him for the lack of equipment to deal with the fires in town. The outpouring of anger came as …

Bushfires In Australia May Get Even Worse With 'Horrible Day' On Horizon
5 years ago

Bushfires In Australia May Get Even Worse With 'Horrible Day' On Horizon

NPR  

Bushfires In Australia May Get Even Worse With 'Horrible Day' On Horizon Enlarge this image toggle caption Darrian Traynor/Getty Images Darrian Traynor/Getty Images As hard as it may be to believe, the bushfires ravaging large swaths of Australia are likely to get worse in the coming days. Citing a menacing cocktail of high temperatures and gusty winds, Australia's Bureau of …

As Australia fires rage, heat wave sees hottest day nationwide
5 years ago

As Australia fires rage, heat wave sees hottest day nationwide

CNN  

CNN — Australia experienced its hottest average day across the countryTuesday, with the national temperature soaring as devastating wildfires continued to burn across New South Wales state. That’s just the average nationwide figure – the heat has spiked even higher in some places, like the town of Ceduna in South Australia, which hit 45.5 degrees Celsius. SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty …

‘Like a furnace’: Australia set to see hottest day ever with 50C forecast as devastating bushfires rage
5 years ago

‘Like a furnace’: Australia set to see hottest day ever with 50C forecast as devastating bushfires rage

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A “once in a lifetime” heatwave is set to sweep across Australia over the coming …

Bushfire outlook update makes for more grim reading for summer ahead
5 years ago

Bushfire outlook update makes for more grim reading for summer ahead

ABC  

We're already dealing with a fire season for the record books — crews exhausted, millions of hectares burnt, scores of houses destroyed — but an update of the danger ahead paints an even more ominous picture. Key points: The bushfire outlook from August warned of above-normal bushfire conditions for most of the east coast this summer, as well as parts …

Australian PM Scott Morrison refuses to take blame for environmental policies causing unprecedented bushfires, insists govt was 'doing enough' to tackle climate change
5 years, 1 month ago

Australian PM Scott Morrison refuses to take blame for environmental policies causing unprecedented bushfires, insists govt was 'doing enough' to tackle climate change

Firstpost  

Australia’s Prime Minister on Thursday denied his climate policies had caused unprecedented bushfires ravaging the country and insisted his government was doing enough to tackle global warming Sydney: Australia’s Prime Minister on Thursday denied his climate policies had caused unprecedented bushfires ravaging the country and insisted his government was doing enough to tackle global warming. As blazes that have scorched …

PM denies link to climate policies as fires scorch arid Australia
5 years, 1 month ago

PM denies link to climate policies as fires scorch arid Australia

Al Jazeera  

Fires have now sprung up in four states as firefighters battle to contain blazes that have killed six people. Australia’s Prime Minister on Thursday denied his climate change policies had caused unprecedented bushfires ravaging the country and insisted his government was doing enough to tackle global warming. As blazes that have left six dead and scorched swathes of countryside sprang …

Australia bushfires: Sydney ‘choking in smoke’ as city shrouded in hazardous fumes
5 years, 1 month ago

Australia bushfires: Sydney ‘choking in smoke’ as city shrouded in hazardous fumes

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Powerful winds fanned around 130 fires, which have been …

Australia bushfires: Conditions in East and West coasts to worsen further due to rising temperature, lightning strikes and gusty winds
5 years, 1 month ago

Australia bushfires: Conditions in East and West coasts to worsen further due to rising temperature, lightning strikes and gusty winds

Firstpost  

The country is already battling more than 120 bushfires, and firefighters work day and night trying to contain them Melbourne: Rising temperatures, lightning strikes and gusty winds further raised fire danger on both coasts of Australia on Sunday as the country already battles more than 120 bushfires, and firefighters work day and night trying to contain them. “Please, remain vigilant.” …

Australia bushfire death toll rises as fire risk spreads west
5 years, 1 month ago

Australia bushfire death toll rises as fire risk spreads west

Al Jazeera  

Four people are now known to have died in ferocious blazes on east coast with high temperatures raising risk in west. The death toll in the bushfires raging across Australia’s New South Wales state has risen to four after a man’s body was found in a scorched forest, as authorities warned on Thursday of worsening weather conditions to come. “The …

Here’s why Australia is having a cataclysmic wildfire season
5 years, 1 month ago

Here’s why Australia is having a cataclysmic wildfire season

Salon  

California isn’t the only place with wildfire woes this year. On Sunday, the New South Wales Fire Service announced the fire threat on Monday would be “worse than originally forecast” — prompting New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian to declare a state of emergency for the next week. In mid-October, the New South Wales fire service already saw signs of …

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