Yes, Australia has always had bushfires: but 2019 is like nothing we've seen before

As the area burned across Australia this fire season pushes beyond five million hectares, an area larger than many countries, stories of destruction have become depressingly familiar.

Scientists say the lack of moisture in the landscape
 is a key reason this year’s bushfire have been so
severe and the climate crisis is behind the lengthening
 of the fire season.

At the time of writing, nine people have been killed. Balmoral, in the New South Wales southern highlands, is the latest community affected in a state where up to 1,000 homes have been destroyed. A third of the vineyard area and dozens of homes were razed in the Adelaide Hills. It is too early for a thorough examination of the impact on wildlife, including the many threatened species in the fires’ path.

Does this qualify as unprecedented? Plenty of experts say yes, but not all politicians and newspaper columnists are convinced. Last week the acting prime minister, Michael McCormack, assured the nation that “we’ve had these smoke hazes before. We’ve had bushfires before.” After returning from Hawaii, Scott Morrison, acknowledged the fires were severe, but also adopted a familiar line: Australia has always had bushfires.

Read the story from The Guardian by Adam Morton - “Yes, Australia has always had bushfires: but 2019 is like nothing we've seen before.”