Leading scientists condemn political inaction on climate change as Australia 'literally burns’

Leading scientists have expressed concern about the lack of focus on the climate crisis as bushfires rage across New South Wales and Queensland, saying it should be a “wake-up call” for the government.

Firefighters battle a bushfire near Braidwood,
 New South Wales, on Friday. Scientists are
perplexed that as bushfires have intensified on
 Australia’s east coast, political commentary on
climate change has ‘very much died down’.

Climate experts who spoke to Guardian Australia said they were “bewildered” the emergency had grabbed little attention during the final parliamentary sitting week for the year, which was instead taken up by the repeal of medevac laws, a restructure of the public service, and energy minister Angus Taylor’s run-in with the American author Naomi Wolf.

Escalating conditions on Thursday and Friday led to dozens of out-of-control bushfires, including in the NSW’s Hawkesbury region, where a fire at Gospers Mountain merged with two other blazes burning in the lower Hunter on Friday.

Read the story from The Guardian by Lisa Cox - “Leading scientists condemn political inaction on climate change as Australia 'literally burns’.”