Australia is being ravaged by the worst wildfires seen in decades, with large swathes of the country devastated since the fire season began in late July. So far, at least 24 million acres of Australian trees have been burned in this country.
During this catastrophe, twenty-eight people have died and one million animals have disappeared. The blazes turned skies orange and made breathing the air in Sydney as bad as smoking 19 cigarettes.
The fire was started by several different factors: by lightning, human actions (smoking), or climate conditions. Before the fire ignited, Australia was already enduring its hottest and driest year on record. It’s summertime in Australia, and the heat keeps rising.
A hundred thousand people’s lives are being disrupted and the government’s response hasn’t been inspiring. Their work has been very difficult and they have stated that “The pace at which the bushfires have spread and the subsequent heavy smoke have made it difficult for emergency services to access and evacuate some communities, at times forcing residents to flee to beaches and other water bodies to avoid impact and await rescue,” the Red Cross reports.
I think this fire gives everybody in the world warming that we should be caring for our environment and doing something for global warming.
Work cite:
Resnick, Brian, et al. “8 Things Everyone Should Know about Australia’s Wildfire Disaster.” Vox, Vox, 10 Jan. 2020, www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/1/8/21055228/australia-fires-map-animals-koalas-wildlife-smoke-donate.