Climate change is bringing a new world of bushfires

Spring has barely arrived, and bushfires are burning across Australia’s eastern seaboard. More than 50 fires are currently burning in New South Wales, and some 15,000 hectares have burned in Queensland since late last week.

Fires are burning across Queensland and New South Wales.

It’s the first time Australia has seen such strong fires this early in the bushfire season. While fire is a normal part of Australia’s yearly cycle and no two years are alike, what we are seeing now is absolutely not business as usual. 

And although these bushfires are not directly attributable to climate change, our rapidly warming climate, driven by human activities, is exacerbating every risk factor for more frequent and intense bushfires.

Read the story from The Conversation by the Professor of Hazards and Disaster Risk Sciences from the University of Sydney, Dale Dominey-Howes -  “Climate change is bringing a new world of bushfires.”