Fires in Australia
Summer in Australia. Once a picturesque season replete with sun-soaked white sand beaches. Recently, blissful summers in the land down under have been marked by catastrophic fires and hazardous smoke conditions resulting in widespread evacuations. This year’s fires struck the continent after particularly ideal fire conditions: record high temperatures, long-term drought, dry soil, and unusual weather events—all of which scientists have attributed to anthropogenic climate change. Although hot temperatures, drought conditions, and bushfires are not unusual in Australia, the extreme fires this year left the country with more than 17.9 billion acres burned, threatened wildlife populations (and even eliminated some entirely), destroyed communities, and stoked existential fear about the increasingly severe future impacts of climate change.
Climatologists report that Australia has warmed by more than one degree Celsius over the last century, resulting in heat waves of greater frequency and intensity (1). High temperatures cause increased evaporation in soil, which dries out vegetation and creates more flammable fuel for fires. Decreasing annual rainfall in the continent’s southern region caused by the Indian Niño phenomenon, similar to El Niño, has compounded the problem and left Australia in a drought since 2017 (2, 3). Indian Niño is becoming increasingly frequent and is known to cause worse fire seasons in Australia as a result of reduced precipitation from the cooling waters in the Indian Ocean. (4, 5, 6). Additionally, record warm temperatures over the Antarctic region caused a sudden climate event that reversed the direction of the westerly winds and consequently sent hot dry winds across the Australian continent (7). These factors illustrate how anthropogenic climate change has been a key driver in the devastating wildfires in Australia, and that the continent is highly vulnerable to progressively worse fires in the future as climate change becomes more severe (8, 9, 10, 11). Furthermore, they are a wake-up call that has sent a loud and clear message to the world about the impacts of climate change.
Catastrophic fires of this scale create a feedback loop wherein climate change exacerbates the severity and frequency of wildfires, and in turn, wildfires intensify climate change. When millions of acres burn, fires emit tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and forests that would otherwise remove carbon dioxide from the air are destroyed. Additionally, fires inject large amounts of particulate matter (soot) into the atmosphere, which can actually absorb and retain heat, resulting in greater atmospheric warming.
Additionally, the health impacts of wildfires are a threat to human survival, and the outcomes will continue to worsen as climate change increases. Many global and national organizations working towards health and development have examined the link between climate change and human health in reports like the 2018 Lancet Countdown: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change12, 4th National Climate Assessment: Chapter 14: Human Health13, and World Health Organization COP24 Special Report: Health and Climate Change. Individuals and communities impacted by fires may all suffer from loss of life, burns, broken bones and other major injuries, loss of homes and business, PTSD, and mental health issues from job loss and community loss. The poor air quality from air pollutants (particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic carbons, and ozone) increases risks of asthma, COPD, pneumonia, and bronchitis, particularly in adults over the age of 65. Specifically, wildfire particulate matter 2.5 has been associated with increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes by 42% and 22% respectively, in adults over 65 on the day after exposure. (12)
Recovering from wildfires of this scale is extremely costly. The 2017 Sonoma/Napa fires caused $9 billion in damages and the 2018 Camp Fire caused $16.5 billion in damages. The fires in Australia are approximately 80 times larger than the area burned in the 2019 California fires (14), and recovery will require immeasurable money and resources. The fires must be contained, evacuated individuals need to return home, and damaged infrastructure must be restored. People all over the world have joined in the effort to support Australia by providing additional firefighters on the ground as well as financial aid.
Individuals, however, can do a lot more than simply send financial relief to climate change affected areas. Everyone can work to reduce their own GHG footprint by first evaluating their carbon impact and then making changes to their diets, home energy consumption, and travel and commuting choices as needed, as well as supporting political leaders at all levels who prioritize climate change mitigation and adaptation. Additionally, individuals can voluntarily purchase carbon offsets through renewable energy, energy efficiency, and tree planting programs.
Individuals also play an important role in creating fire and climate resilience communities. Actions include building with fire-resistant materials and in low risk landscapes, developing evacuation plans, working with landowners to reduce hazardous fuels, being cooperative with all stakeholders, and complying with ordinances and codes.
Hopefully the global community takes the fate of Australia this year as a proverbial canary in the coal mine for what lies ahead if we do not make dramatic changes to climate change adaptation and mitigation. Communities must prepare for climate impacts while governments simultaneously work to seriously meet GHG reduction commitments.
