Australia is enduring a hellish season of bushfires enduring lives, leaving families without homes, burning land enormously and perishing wildlife in the flames. This is the most tragic climate change horror ever in the history of Australia. The death toll is 23 and on the rise; many are still missing. In New South Wales alone, 1500 homes have been lost. As per the latest reports, 10.7 million hectares of land have been burnt so far which is close to the size of England.
Ecologists from the University of Sydney estimate that nearly 500 million animals have been killed including 25,000 Koalas – the iconic animals of Australia. The destruction is so intense and widespread that scientists fear that the entire species of animal and plant life will be lost in the bushfires. There is no doubt that the record-breaking heatwave and the resulting climate change are the reason behind the deadly fires. The average temperature across the entire country has been above 40 degrees centigrade last year and continuing upwards into 2020. Australia is facing an adverse weather condition due to extreme heatwave. Trees and plants are catching up fire more easily because of the dry weather and controlling fire is becoming a major challenge.
The fires have triggered an explosive thunderstorm called, ‘pyro cumulonimbus’ which injects particles as high as 10 miles into the air. The heat and moisture released from the fire cause these thunderstorms. The current condition in Australia is, ‘apocalyptic’ and linked to an atom bomb.
Hazardous smoke has spilled into the already heavily polluted cities of Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra. The smoke from the fire crisis has drifted to the South Island of New Zealand more than 2,000 kilometers away, making the sky orange and sections of the glaciers brown.
The mass evacuations that took place following the New Year’s Eve across New South Wales and Victoria are understood to be one of the largest ever emergency movements in the history of Australia. Canberra is now ranked the worst city in the planet for its air quality. It is high time for the Australian government to take serious action to reduce emissions and limit the impact of the crisis on Australia and other parts of the world. Also, governments all over the world have the responsibility to address the global climate emergency on priority. Only a dramatic fall in the burning of fossil fuels can prevent this warning trends of climate change.
Climate change warriors are insisting on resorting to renewable energy sources putting an end to all the carbon dioxide generating sources as the only compelling solution to prevent this global ecocide.