Climate change will only make bushfires worse says report

by Rich Bowden - Feb 8 2009, 23:39

In the wake of Australia's worst ever bushfire disaster with over 100 dead and around 700 properties destroyed in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, experts have warned climate change means Australians should expect more of the same in future years.

Img: Victoria burns,Feb 7. Credit: Aussie_Pecker/flickr

Senator Bob Brown, leader of the Australian Greens, said the terrible bushfire tragedy is a "sobering reminder" of what lies ahead for Australians due to rising temperatures blamed on human-induced global warming.Speaking to Sky News, Senator Brown said: "Global warming is predicted to make this sort of event happen 25%, 50% more," he told the broadcaster in an interview. "It's a sobering reminder of the need for this nation and the whole world to act and put at a priority our need to tackle climate change."

Img: Victoria burns,Feb 7. Credit: Aussie_Pecker/flickr

His warning was backed by research carried out by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the government scientific body the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) which predicted "...a very dangerous decade or decades," due to rising temperatures, increasing the intensity of fires and extending the bushfire season throughout the country.The research report predicted that days where there is an extreme fire danger are likely to rise by between five and 25 percent if climate change is low, and by 15 to 65 percent if it is high."There does seem to be a human element to bushfire risk," co-author of the report Kevin Hennessy from the CSIRO told Fairfax media. "In terms of human contribution it is clear that most of the global warming since about 1950 is likely due to increases in greenhouse gases. Higher temperatures clearly increase the risk of bushfires."Professor Mark Adams from the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre backed the results of the research, telling the UK's Guardian newspaper that the extreme weather conditions experienced in Victoria prior to the bushfires are likely to occur more often."The weather and climatic conditions recently don't augur well for the future. Bushfires are an important and going to be ever-present part of the landscape," he said.The bushfires continue to rage across the state, with relatively cooler temperatures bringing some relief to firefighters and residents.Both the Victorian and federal governments have launched appeals for victims of the fire disaster. People have been urged to "dig deep" and contributions can be made to the relief fund through the (Australian) Red Cross on 1800 811 700.

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Karl PerrinFeb 9th, 2009 - 01:06:10

We Canadians are largely responsible for the Climate Crisis starting to consume southern Australia and northern Canada. We, you, and the Americans produce more greenhouse gases per capita than all others. I've stopped flying, and am trying to stop buying factory farmed meat and dairy.

The Canadian Tar Sands are massive contributors to this mess. Our Conservative Prime Minister is almost as bad as Bush. Good luck in your upcoming election. Find your Obama!
Karl Perrin, Chair, Enviro C'tee, Unitarian Church of Vancouver

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FrankFeb 9th, 2009 - 11:56:55

What a load of nonsense - Bushfires are a fact of life in Victoria - every Summer/Autumn we get them.

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Karl PerrinFeb 10th, 2009 - 05:32:55

Frank. I know you have yearly bush fires. So does California. And because of global warming (with or without arsonists) you will continue to have worse and worse bush fires for the next 20 years until there's no bush left. By 2029 Victoria state will be a desert and Melbourne will be a ghost town.

You can call it nonsense all you want. It's not a pretty picture. It's happening in California, Greece, Spain, Afghanistan, etc. Droughts are getting longer and deeper, and deserts are on the march everywhere.

I expect the media will get very emotional about the arsonists. Fair enough. But who could do a lot more to prevent the globe from warming at an accelerated rate? You and me. That's undeniable.

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