Put the California wildfires to one side (for now); have you seen what’s going on in Australia?
First, pop over to a proper publication the Atlantic and view these photos - insane.
Australia has suffered a devastating early bushfire season with fires across several states burning through hundreds of thousands of hectares and destroying hundreds of properties with the loss of six lives. It has prompted scientists to ask why?
Is this climate change in action?
No fire can be blamed on climate change alone, but scientists tell us: the rise in higher temperatures, extreme dryness, worsening fire seasons, extreme bursts of fire weather and behaviour and the spread of fire across Australia line up with scenarios painted by climate change projections.
Greenhouse gas emissions have a clear impact on rising temperatures and, through that, an indirect link on increased dryness in eastern Australia. A recent study found the extreme temperatures that drove historic 2018bushfires in northern Queensland were four times more likely to have happened because of human-caused climate change. In short, climate change can and does makes bushfires worse.
If you are still not convinced then let’s head back to California and please read this piece: Burning Out; it may require a donation to Long read membership but it’s worth it. If that is not enough proof then the New York Times has this: Fires are here to stay
We are reaching a tipping point…