Australia’s Catastrophic Bushfire Crisis

WASHINGTON – Weather across the Australian nation is set to deteriorate and temperatures are set to rise in the coming days, Glen Klatovsky from 350.org Australia said.

“The indiscriminate Australian bushfires that have wiped out everything in their path are not a surprise. It is a land of bushfires, but this season’s unprecedented fires are far from normal.

For decades we have been warned by scientists that Australia, a country of extremes, was going to be heavily impacted by climate breakdown. In many regions it is the worst year of drought on record, with the hottest day ever recorded in Sydney in late December.

The latest estimates are that 24 people and 1.25 billion animals have been killed by fires that have burnt 8.4 million hectares across Australia. Our country is privileged to have 60,000 years of First Nations heritage and many important cultural and spiritual places have been lost.

These catastrophic fires will never be forgotten. Let it stand as a terrifying warning to the world:  No government can afford the complacency of the Australian government. These bushfires highlight the monumental failures of the Australian government to act on climate change. Australia is addicted to coal and gas and has no national policy to tackle the climate crisis, either to minimise the scale of climate destruction or to adapt to this “new normal”.

Our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones and the communities who have lost homes, farms, businesses and possessions. It is time to stop burning fossil fuels, organise in and with our communities to confront the realities of the climate crisis and demand real climate action now.”