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 Images The heat wave comes as deadly bush fires continue to ravage NSW, exacerbated by the heat, wind, and the worst drought in decades. “In our decades of service, we’ve seen Australia become drier, hotter and extreme weather conditions far more severe.” The soaring temperatures come just days after Australia, along with several other big polluters, were accused of obstructionist behavior at the UN climate summit COP25.

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History of this topic

Searing heatwave grips southeast Australia, raises extreme bushfire risks
4 days, 12 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 …

Heat wave leads to warnings of potentially devastating wildfires in southern Australia
2 weeks ago

Heat wave leads to warnings of potentially devastating wildfires in southern Australia

Deccan Chronicle  

Newcastle: Communities and firefighters across Australia's second-most populous state were preparing Thursday for potentially devastating wildfires as a heat wave fanned by erratic winds presented the worst fire conditions in several years. With temperatures in Victoria state reaching 37 degrees Celsius and with wind changes expected throughout the day, fire chiefs have issued stark warnings to rural communities to delay …

Heat wave leads to warnings of potentially devastating wildfires in southern Australia
2 weeks ago

Heat wave leads to warnings of potentially devastating wildfires in southern Australia

Associated Press  

NEWCASTLE, Australia — Communities and firefighters across Australia’s second-most populous state were preparing Thursday for potentially devastating wild fires as a heat wave fanned by erratic winds presented the worst fire conditions in several years. “Firefighters, I can say, are doing everything possible to protect life and protect property.” An emergency warning was issued by fire authorities for the small …

The heatwave of 2009 killed hundreds and became Australia's deadliest natural disaster
3 weeks, 2 days ago

The heatwave of 2009 killed hundreds and became Australia's deadliest natural disaster

ABC  

The streets are deserted. "So that's the worst possible scenario for a heatwave," Dr Nairn says. "It's a slow-burn realisation that the numbers are bigger than they would normally be," says Rebecca Owen, who was managing the morgue at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine during the heatwave. Instead, heat-related deaths are usually determined by how many extra deaths there …

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: …

Fire danger ramps up as BOM predicts hotter temperatures around some parts of Australia
2 months ago

Fire danger ramps up as BOM predicts hotter temperatures around some parts of Australia

ABC  

Parts of Australia will experience their hottest temperatures since last summer starting today, as Victoria faces its first total fire ban of the season. A total fire ban and extreme fire danger rating are in place today across Victoria's Mallee region with much of the state experiencing high fire danger. Fire warning for some parts Chief Officer of the Country …

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 …

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 …

The UK just hit 40C for the first time. It's a stark reminder of the deadly heat awaiting Australia
2 years, 5 months ago

The UK just hit 40C for the first time. It's a stark reminder of the deadly heat awaiting Australia

ABC  

A severe heatwave in Western Europe is shattering temperature records — including in the United Kingdom, where temperatures exceeded 40C on Tuesday for the first time on record. In 2020, a UK Met Office study found under the current climate, there was likely a less than 1 per cent chance of seeing 40C anywhere in the UK in a given …

Analysis: Australia’s climate policy is being dictated by a former accountant in a cowboy hat
3 years, 3 months ago

Analysis: Australia’s climate policy is being dictated by a former accountant in a cowboy hat

CNN  

CNN — Australia’s Prime Minister has all but confirmed he won’t join global leaders at crucial climate talks in Glasgow. “It’s talking to people in regional Australia, how the deputy prime minister and I believe our plan will help them in their communities, how our plan will help them realize their future.” With that remark, Morrison made it clear his …

Australia’s wildfires released as much smoke as a massive volcanic eruption, study finds
3 years, 9 months ago

Australia’s wildfires released as much smoke as a massive volcanic eruption, study finds

CNN  

CNN — Australia’s devastating recent wildfires thrust as much smoke into the Earth’s atmosphere as a powerful volcanic eruption, causing cooling over the region’s oceans with potentially long-lasting impacts, according to the authors of a new study. Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images A Royal Australian Navy MH-60R Seahawk "Romeo" helicopter refuels onboard HMAS Adelaide during Operation Bushfire Assist, on Sunday, …

Heat is the 'silent killer' of Australia's bushfire season and experts say climate change is the root cause
4 years, 1 month ago

Heat is the 'silent killer' of Australia's bushfire season and experts say climate change is the root cause

ABC  

At the height of last summer's bushfires, Alan Nichols vividly remembers racing out of his holiday unit, loaded up with essentials. "We know a lot about air pollution, we don't know as much about bushfire smoke," she said. Dr Hunter said the health impacts of smoke shouldn't be looked at in isolation, given smoke usually occurs in combination with what …

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. …

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 …

Australia heading into new 'fire age', warns global fire historian
4 years, 7 months ago

Australia heading into new 'fire age', warns global fire historian

ABC  

Australia could be at the beginning of a new "epoch of fire", driven by humans and climate change. Key points: This summer’s bushfires have been described as "forever fires" by fire historian Stephen Pyne March 2 was the first time in 240 days that not a single wildfire was burning in Australia The royal commission into last summer's bushfires has …

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. …

Australia’s climate crisis has been building for years but no one listened
4 years, 10 months ago

Australia’s climate crisis has been building for years but no one listened

CNN  

CNN — Australia was already grappling with extreme heat and one of the worst droughts on record when devastating bushfires tore through the bone dry land. Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images A Royal Australian Navy MH-60R Seahawk "Romeo" helicopter refuels onboard HMAS Adelaide during Operation Bushfire Assist, on Sunday, January 5, in this image provided by the Australian Department of …

Scientists call on Australia to urgently reduce carbon emissions
4 years, 11 months ago

Scientists call on Australia to urgently reduce carbon emissions

India Today  

Australia needs to pull its weight when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to 274 of the country's leading climate, fire and weather scientists who penned an open letter to the nation's policy makers on Monday. "In many ways, this letter is the product of despair as scientists witnessed the deadly fire season unfold," Australian National University climate …

Australian bushfire photos from the air show scale of carnage and destruction
4 years, 11 months ago

Australian bushfire photos from the air show scale of carnage and destruction

ABC  

As the smoke begins to clear, we're seeing for the first time the unimaginable scale of Australia's worst bushfire season. "I've grown up in the bush and when you see there's nothing left in those places it leaves you wondering, you know, how does an ecosystem recover from this?" "Your mind gets switched off from family life and work life," …

Bushfire tourism flagged by SA Environment Minister following Kangaroo Island crisis
4 years, 11 months ago

Bushfire tourism flagged by SA Environment Minister following Kangaroo Island crisis

ABC  

Like other fire-ravaged parts of Australia, Kangaroo Island is still coming to terms with the scale of the devastation, but one MP says the problem could be part of the solution. Key points: Seal Bay has reopened after being closed for safety precautions during the bushfires Environment Minister David Speirs said the Government hopes to create a "safe corridor" through …

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 …

Data | What made the Australian bushfires so severe this season?
4 years, 11 months ago

Data | What made the Australian bushfires so severe this season?

The Hindu  

Australia is facing one of its worst bushfire seasons in history, which has caused the deaths of at least 24 people and more than one billion animals as on January 8. Searing heat In 2019, Australia was 1.52°C warmer than the average temperature between 1961 and 1990, the hottest year on record since 1900. Record temperatures image/svg+xml 1.5 1 0.5 …

Scott Morrison\'s popularity plunges after Australian bushfires
4 years, 11 months ago

Scott Morrison\'s popularity plunges after Australian bushfires

Deccan Chronicle  

Melbourne: A political poll showed Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s popularity declined sharply as his government grappled with a bushfires crisis that has killed 28 people and destroyed 2,000 homes. “We have heard the message loud and clear from the Australian people,” Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Monday, when asked about the poll result as he announced a A$50 million …

Australian prime minister’s approval rating singed by bushfires
4 years, 11 months ago

Australian prime minister’s approval rating singed by bushfires

Al Jazeera  

Scott Morrison has come under attack for being slow to respond to the crisis, even taking a holiday as Australia burned. A new poll shows the popularity of Australia‘s Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declined sharply amid deepening anger at his government’s handling of the bushfires that have killed 28 people, razed more than 11 million hectares of land and …

Australia bushfire crisis: Prime Minister admits mistakes amid mounting criticism
4 years, 11 months ago

Australia bushfire crisis: Prime Minister admits mistakes amid mounting criticism

CNN  

CNN — Australia’s beleaguered prime minister, Scott Morrison, has admitted there were things he “could have handled much better” in the bushfire crisis and will propose a royal commission into the disaster. Wolter Peeters/The Sydney Morning Herald via Getty Images “These are sensitive environments, they are very emotional environments,” said Morrison, adding that “prime ministers are flesh and blood too …

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. …

Aussie burned in massive inferno caused by wildfires
4 years, 11 months ago

Aussie burned in massive inferno caused by wildfires

Deccan Chronicle  

Burragate, Australia: Two wildfires merged to form a massive inferno in southeast Australia on Saturday, near where a man suffered serious burns protecting a home during a night of treacherous conditions during the nation’s unprecedented fire crisis. Authorities were assessing the damage after firefighters battled flames fanned by strong winds through the night and lightning strikes sparked new blazes in …

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 …

Australians protest PM Scott Morrison’s climate policies amid bushfire crisis
4 years, 11 months ago

Australians protest PM Scott Morrison’s climate policies amid bushfire crisis

CNN  

CNN — Thousands of activists marched in several major citiesacross Australia on Friday, calling on the government to act on the climate crisis and do more to stop the bushfires that continue to ravage large swathes of the country. “The Morrison government needs to act before it’s too late, before we reach a tipping point, before these impacts get worse …

A continent on fire: on Australia wildfires
4 years, 11 months ago

A continent on fire: on Australia wildfires

The Hindu  

Australia’s catastrophic fire season that began in August last year is unprecedented, and has caused large scale destruction, mainly in New South Wales and Queensland. In a world set to warm at least half a degree more in coming decades, Australia’s encounters with devastating fires could become more frequent, perhaps even once in eight years, making large parts of the …

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 …

Scott Morrison: The ‘daggy dad’ burned by Australia’s fire crisis
5 years ago

Scott Morrison: The ‘daggy dad’ burned by Australia’s fire crisis

Al Jazeera  

Australians are angry at the prime minister’s handling of the crisis and failure to take action on climate change. Canberra, Australia – When Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison arrived in the bushfire-ravaged New South Wales town of Cobargo last week, locals were less than welcoming. “Tell the prime minister he can go and get f***ed!” Several homes and businesses were …

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 …

Scott Morrison meets bushfire victims on Kangaroo Island
5 years ago

Scott Morrison meets bushfire victims on Kangaroo Island

Daily Mail  

Scott Morrison has returned to the front line to meet with bushfire victims after he was snubbed by locals in one of Australia's worst hit areas last week. The Australian prime minister was on Kangaroo Island on Wednesday where he pledged to provide more support after an inferno ripped through the island, off the coast of South Australia, on Friday …

I'm doing what the Australian government won't – telling the truth about the climate crisis
5 years ago

I'm doing what the Australian government won't – telling the truth about the climate crisis

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. This must have come as a …

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 …

Australia bushfire crisis: PM Morrison announces $2 billion for relief support
5 years ago

Australia bushfire crisis: PM Morrison announces $2 billion for relief support

The Hindu  

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday announced an additional 2 billion dollars over two years to a new agency to coordinate a national response to rebuild communities and livelihoods following the deadly bushfire crisis. “It’s a long road ahead and we will be with these communities every step of the way as they rebuild,” Morrison, who is facing widespread …

Wildfires, Burning For Months, Devastate Vast Areas Of Australia
5 years ago

Wildfires, Burning For Months, Devastate Vast Areas Of Australia

NPR  

Wildfires, Burning For Months, Devastate Vast Areas Of Australia Australia faces even hotter weather and strong winds which are expected to worsen the crisis. Jenny Stones says she's never seen anything like this year's fire season. JENNY STONES: We've been in Kangaroo Valley for nearly 30 years now, and you had the odd fire come through but nothing - the …

Photos | Wildfire-weary Australians see no end to unprecedented calamity
5 years ago

Photos | Wildfire-weary Australians see no end to unprecedented calamity

LA Times  

Exhausted firefighters welcomed cooler weather and patchy rain in blaze-ravaged southeastern Australia Monday after a calamitous few days, even as authorities warn of a return to dangerous conditions later this week. With no end in sight to the months-long crisis, authorities are counting the cost after the weekend saw properties in small towns on the south coast of New South …

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