In terms of size and intensity, the devastating bushfires that torched eucalyptus forests in southern and eastern Australia in the summer of 2019–2020 were unparalleled. They began in October 2019 and continued to burn until January 2020, scorching millions of hectares while displacing or killing an estimated 3 billion animals. The fires produced record-breaking levels of carbon dioxide emissions and smoke plumes. They are very common in dry and hot climates such as Australia, where they have become a regular occurrence.
Global Warming responsible for increased incidences of Bushfires
The parched plains brought on by a drought that started three years ago were the direct cause of the harsh season. The year 2019 was the warmest and driest ever recorded, breaking records for a continent accustomed to frequent droughts. The annual mean temperature broke the previous record of 1.33°, established in 2013, rising 1.5 °C above the average of 21.8° between 1961 and 1990. (Incidentally, the aspirational global ceiling established by the 2015 Paris climate accord is 1.5° above preindustrial levels.) Australia had an all-time average high temperature of 40.3° on December 17 but that was surpassed the following day with a measurement of 40.7°.
In recent years, the average rainfall across the country was 277.6 mm, significantly less than the previous record low of 314.5 mm set in 1902. The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) has moved more frequently into a positive phase throughout the winter, deflecting westerlies and rainfall away from the southern coast due to human-induced climate change. For more than three months, smoke from the flames clouded the skies above New Zealand and the rest of the world.
How did the bushfires impact Australia’s threatened wildlife?
Australia, which has the highest mammalian extinction rate in the world, has lost 60 plant and 50 animal species to wildfires in the last 200 years. An estimated 2,000 plant and animal species, as well as woodlands, forests, and wetlands, are also thought to be in danger of going extinct. Dunnarts, tiny nocturnal marsupials the size of mice that live on Kangaroo Island and may have lost an astounding 95% of their habitat due to wildfires, are two instances of endangered species that have been particularly devastated by the most recent bushfires. Koalas are another.
Bushfires have also had a significant negative influence on agriculture and agricultural area. The biggest milk-producing states in Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, are said to have lost the most land, making the dairy industry one of the worst-hit sectors. Aside from milk production, there have been significant declines in the output of beef, wool, and honey, causing discussions about food security.
On February 11, 2022, the Australian government listed the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), the adorable mammal that serves as the nation’s own symbol, as “Endangered” in the states of Queensland and New South Wales as well as the Australian Capital Territory. Conservationists worry that the number of koala fatalities may cause a sharp decline in the genetic diversity present in local koala populations. This reduction in genetic diversity could further weaken the population, rendering animals who survive the fires more vulnerable to deadly illnesses like chlamydia. The koala is therefore under intense pressure. The survival of the koala may no longer be guaranteed if the effects of climate change are not immediately reversed.
Governments are still reluctanct to Act!
The conservative Australian government continues to deny climate change and does not want to take the brunt of the blame, presenting the climate catastrophe as one shared equally by all nations even as bushfires become more regular and violent. Scott Morrison, the prime minister, has repeatedly rejected calls for more aggressive action to combat climate change. His administration took active steps to end its participation in energy-saving programmes.
This includes dropping the National Energy Guarantee policy, which had required businesses to meet specific emission-reduction targets. Another example is stopping contributions to the Green Climate Fund, the main UN fund for combating the climate crisis. Many hailed the Australian government’s declaration in late 2021 as the first significant move in the right direction because it detailed a strategy for investing in low-emission technology to achieve “net zero” emissions by 2050.
Despite calls from scientists at the UN Climate Summit in Glasgow on the importance of reducing emissions, experts are rather sceptical, pointing out that the government has made no plans to move away from its excessive reliance on coal and gas and that it omitted any toughening of emission targets for 2030. Australia fell behind several industrialised economies in the 2022 Climate Change Performance Index, coming in at number 59 out of 64 due to its lack of climate change policy. This is a blatant indication that the government is not paying enough attention to climate change, the primary cause of bushfires.
Conclusion
This crisis is just an example of the larger environmental crisis occurring on our planet. When the fires were at their worst, our priority was to provide urgent aid to the incredible frontline organisations that were rescuing and caring for injured and fire-damaged wildlife. Now that the fires are put out, it is time to concentrate on the protracted recovery process and preparing our nation for future fire seasons. Conservation of the affected species is of utmost concern, especially the Koalas.
We need to take this occurrence as a theme and build models to understand the concept behind the bushfires. This study can lead to a better understanding of the wrong practices being carried out in Australia and similar practices around the world could also be halted to prevent the same senario somewhere else. Moreover, it can be implemented in India, where forest fires are worsening significantly.
Help us Help Them! Think Wildlife Foundation is a non profit organization with various conservation initiatives. Our most prominent campaign is our Caring for Pari intiative. Pari is a rehabilitated elephant at the Wildlife SoS Hospital. 25% of the profits from our store are donated to the elephant hospital for Pari. Other than buying our wonderful merchandise, you could donate directly to our Caring For Pari fundraiser.
Written by Krishnag Sikaria