Australian Bushfires

[TheDevil]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-50951043

"Record-breaking temperatures and months of severe drought have fuelled a series of massive bushfires across Australia."

Can't see much of this on Answerbank?

I feel sorry for all the poor animals. What an awful time for Aussies, bet they're not a fan of Scott Morrison right now.

[TonyV]

Think I heard there were already 24 deaths, some almost self inflicted by not moving out when requested by emergency services.

[TheDevil]

The resources it has must take to home 2000 people, feed them, keep them warm and healthy surely must outweigh the benefits of burning off winter growth?

[TheDevil]

not to mention doing this whilst trying to save others, stop the fires from spreading and putting them out entirely.

[Ellipsis]

Some science, with a link ...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/50966478

[TonyV]

Devil haven't heard any suggestion that fires have been caused by deliberate burning, you wouldn't do it at this time of the year anyway. Some may have been set by arsonists.

[Barsel]

When the people are evacuated, where do they take them, another part of Australia? I can't imagine how people cope who have lost absolutely everything, I wouldn't know what to do if I lost my home and all my possessions and yet this has happened to thousands in Australia as of course it happens where there have been other disasters in other parts of the world.

[TheDevil]

Tony, I thought people were saying these fires were a cause of burning winter growth and forest land to make way for new.

[Barmaid]

No TD, I dont think that is what people are saying at all. I think it is the opposite (although could be wrong). My understanding is that since controlled burning has been outlawed (ie to make fire breaks) more fires have happened and with more devastation.

[dannyk13]

TD //Tony, I thought people were saying these fires were a cause of burning winter growth and forest land to make way for new.//
That was said about the burning of the Amazon rain forests.Haven't heard it mentioned in relation to Australia.

[TheDevil]

Ahhh! I understand Barmaid.

I've not been able to read a news article about why this is happening, just that it is happening an what efforts people are making.

[MWG14]

As former Australian residents, we know only too well that bushfires are an annual event in summer. Some are more severe than others. The warmest months are January, February and March. It is fairly unusual for fires to start as early as December.

We are receiving daily updates on the current situation from friends and former neighbours there. Some were indeed started deliberately by arsonists.

It is a tragic situation.

[TheDevil]

How awful to hear! Arson is heinous.

[Ellipsis]

> My understanding is that since controlled burning has been outlawed (ie to make fire breaks) more fires have happened and with more devastation.

Correlation is not causation though, Barmaid.

These articles talk about the actual causes:

* https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/climate-and-people/australia-burning-bushfires-bad/
* https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/50966478
* https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1204088/australia-fires-why-have-australia-bushfires-been-so-bad-nsw-queensland

[Togo]

Warning.....You will not like this . Under no circumstances read the information in the link. Particularly the scientific data that has not been scrubbed or manipulated to fit a Telegraph, BBC,or Express doom laden view of the World.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/01/02/greens-made-australia-bush-fires-worse/

[Peter Pedant]

// //You have to wonder whether this is going to become an annual event.They already occur, if not annually, certainly in about one year out of two. //

they are part of the terrain ;s natural life cycle innit?

so it is not - Jurassic - wolllemi pine and no lightning strikes
caenozoic - stilll not strikes
1999 - strikkes and bush fires begin and endanger the whole lot

it is - bush fires throughout the caenozoic and the life forms adapt to take this into account

oh God this has taken the form of a Great Thought - but it is obvious from the outset really innit?

[Peter Pedant]

// since controlled burning has been outlawed (ie to make fire breaks)//

oh
I wondered why thick veg was up to the verge on roads known to be the Only Way Out - - I thought you could clear it 50m each side
( not new idea - that was the rule for roman aqueducts - and instant death for anyone found inside the glacis)

[albaqwerty]

as far as I'm aware (which isn't very far tbh) ScoMo and his government don't believe in Climate Change.
Australia didn't sign up to anything at COP25.
About 200 people have been arrested for arson.

I'll have to go and search for links for those 3 assertions which serves me right for reading different websites.

[Peter Pedant]

well here is one
https://noqreport.com/2020/01/06/183-arsonists-arrested-climate-change-alarmists-blame-australias-massive-fires/

dropping a fag end has a different ending in tinder dry terrain
than in er Bolton bus station when it is possing down

[Ellipsis]

> those trying to make political capital out of the disaster by twisting the facts to suit their narrative, are either offensively ignorant or nauseatingly unconscionable.

That's what's happening, Togo, and Delingpole is a culprit.

[Chipchopper]

I recall from a documentary that the Aborigines once (and maybe still do) deliberately light small controlled fires so that game would be attracted into the area to feed on new, fresh shoots, something they would probably have practiced for 60 thousand years without any problems.