Australian bushfires

[Theknacktoflying]

Is anyone else absolutely floored by the info coming from Sydney that almost 480 million animals, birds and reptiles have died.

The loss of human life, the loss of homes and habitat is quite something.

What a way to begin 2020

@AtomicRabbit fortunately the wind has died down (for now) & they are so far unaffected but won’t return home as they are expecting a new fire front this morning when the wind picks up.

The trapped family are extremely lucky - the fire service couldn’t reach them but they have managed to fend off the fires themselves. On Google Maps it looked like they had no chance, they were in a tiny hamlet surrounded on all 4 sides by forest.

Global warming striking.My opinion is that global warming is now irreversible.I am heartbroken for the animals,their world being destroyed by the actions of humans.We in the UK will be crucified by our politicians yet we contribute 2% of emissions,Those who are the worst polluters,China,India,Brazil,USA,not us.As a scientist,I have been expecting this for years.

Those who are the worst polluters,China,India,Brazil,USA,not us.

Yes but it’s not that simple, is it? Who’s buying the stuff creating emissions in China and India? Who’s selling them the cheap coal? We don’t live in convenient little solos that don’t affect one another.

‘Crucified by our politicians’ is beyond hyperbole.

@classof66. Australia has the second highest CO2 output per capita in the world. Brazil and India are nowhere near as bad and even China'z carbon footprint per capita is less than half that of Australia

www.economicshelp.org/blog/10296/economics/top-co2-polluters-highest-per-capita/

But 16th in the world for total kgs output.

But total kgs output is a bit misleading isn't it? Obviously, a larger more populated country is going to have a bigger output than a much smaller country, however hard it tries to cut emissions. So that measure allows smaller or less densely populated countries to abdicate responsibility.

I find it very hard to believe they would have any idea of how many animals have been killed. I think a lot of the media and others have become a tad hysterical about all of this.

Is it true that they didn’t do the controlled fires due to people being worried about the damage to the climate? Is it that and arsonists that contributed to it?

It has been difficult to do hazard reduction burning as winter temperatures have been too high. Climate change is real and it is here.

m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2921494607881075&id=100000616941843
This is useful.

@Promisesfulfilled2020 - really?
You think the media is a ‘tad hysterical’ about this?
From an Australian who has had friends directly affected by this and is living in a risk area - ODFOD.
And BTW, of course they can make a reasonable estimate of how many animals have perished. They know roughly how many animals populate the areas that are on fire, and in many cases, it’s simply not possible that animals would have survived the carnage.
But thanks for the empathy 🙄

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collapse:_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed
This book by Jared Diamond contains a good analysis of what happens when societies push at the margins of sustainable growth and deplete/destroy natural resources. Australia seems invested in making much of the continent more or less uninhabitable.

Is it true that they didn’t do the controlled fires due to people being worried about the damage to the climate?

No. Some brigades couldn’t even do their full plan of controlled burns because the autumn and winter were too hot and dry to do it safely, and the fire season started too early in the spring.

Is it that and arsonists that contributed to it?

Yes, it’s always the case with some fires, though probably not the majority of them. Though these particular fires are now self-sustaining because they are creating their own lightning.

@Promisesfulfilled2020
Here's a link explaining how the number of animals killed in the fire was estimated:
sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2020/01/03/a-statement-about-the-480-million-animals-killed-in-nsw-bushfire.html

@PenelopeFlintstone. it's the per capita that is important. India has a population of 1.3 billion, of course its total CO2 emission will be higher than a much less populated country. Blaming countries like Brazil and India for CO2 emissions when Australia is far more culpable per person is part of the blindness which leads to climate change.

if we in the rich countries all manage to reduce our individial carbon footprint to that of India then the planet has a hope of surviving. However if we continue to drive cars, take flights. run air conditioning, eat food produced 1000s of miles away, then we have no hope.

Horrific. A dd has an old friend in the Blue Mountains whose dad’s house is at serious risk.

I don’t suppose all this appallingly frightening and tragic footage is ever likely to stop those Brits who do it so much, from endlessly moaning about our weather, but I live in hope.

Also, State Governments have been passing the buck on controlled burning for years - blaming previous governments and “looking into it” for so bloody long that it doesn’t happen until the next lot are elected and they go around the same bloody mulberry bush again until it catches fire! My parents property backs onto State Forest in Brisbane. They owned it from 1994 until 2016. In that period of time, it was burnt back exactly once. It was supposed to be done annually. Residents were begging State Govt to clear and were requesting permission to hire private contractors because they felt unsafe and were threatened with massive fines. Labor and Liberal were equally crap at getting it done.

For those saying the media are hyping it up, please don’t believe this. The media are down playing it significantly! I have family living in fire affected and cut off areas, it is truely so much worse than the media is showing. I know so many people who have lost their homes, their businesses, everything! With the fires still raging all around them. They are homeless, in towns cut off, with no power, no phone connection, no fuel, no food. It is absolutely horrific. Most of these towns will never truely recover from this.

Those who are the worst polluters,China,India,Brazil,USA,not us.

Yes but it’s not that simple, is it? Who’s buying the stuff creating emissions in China and India?

Can any of that apply to Australia, I wonder? I've just read that Australia produces loads of aluminium which is electricity-intensive to do. The CO2 emissions get allocated to the producer, not the consumer.
I'm not arguing. I don't know. I just read an article online.

This is from The Guardian. Very interesting. Here's the link for all the different ways of looking at it:
www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/apr/21/countries-responsible-climate-change

Can any of that apply to Australia, I wonder? I've just read that Australia produces loads of aluminium which is electricity-intensive to do. The CO2 emissions get allocated to the producer, not the consumer.

Yep, and sells fuckloads of coal to India and China (and other places).

I try not to buy anything made in China,supporting their economy merely brings forward the day that they will take over the World.OK,just add Australia to the list.I know all about their coal exports.All this is an example of politicians everywhere not interested enough in really doing something sensible,but at my age,I am getting to the point where I do not care any more.Sorry if this offends,but having seen what has gone on since 1945 in this country and the World,one gets rather cynical.

"My parents property backs onto State Forest in Brisbane. They owned it from 1994 until 2016. In that period of time, it was burnt back exactly once.*

Yep, where i grew up in the lower Blue Mountains we backed onto bush and were surrounded by it, we had a bush trail behind our house. From when i lived there 88-05 there was burning off once

I'm desperately hoping for a change in weather for Australia, they really need the rain.
The firefighters are super stars. I think the UK/US need to be sending planes to help drop water.