No let up from the fires in Australia

Relocation of survivors would seem to be inevitable. This has certain drawbacks. Koala populations in some areas are infected by chlamydia and Kangaroo Island was disease free. This stock was being used to repopulate some mainland areas where koalas had disappeared. I don't know how successful that program has been. There are also populations of koalas in zoos and wild life sanctuaries that are disease free and they will be used to build up the number in the wild.

A lot now depends on volunteers going out onto the burnt out fire fields to gather up survivors and bring them in for first aid and care.
 

It's heartwarming to see how grateful the Aussies are to have fire-fighters from the U.S. joining in on their fight.

Tit-for-tat .. Canadian firefighters are coming home today, and others will take their place.
Australia has sent their firefighters here to help with blazes in Canada, several times in the recent past.
 

I live in South Aust so I can tell you exactly what it’s like here today , the attached screen shot will give you a idea of our air quality due to smoke from the kangaroo island fires

SA is right up the top of page

it’s reported some of the smoke is expected to clear latter this afternoon due to light rain ......
let’s hope so ..


AE1689D4-372B-4B0C-9725-C5075A4E25DF.jpeg
 
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Just heard from my friends living in Yorke Peninsula, that the fires were so close, they had their bags packed ready to evacuate. She said that though the temps were in the 40C's, today, she is wearing a sweater. So many sheep have perished, besides the wild animals. They are fortunate that they sold off their livestock some years ago. Their old farm property outside Adelaide was touched by fire 4 yrs. ago, and there is still evidence of those fires in that area.
 
Looking at those pictures and realizing how this massive fire must be impacting so, so many people and animals is bringing tears to my eyes. An astonishing number of wild life was lost. I did not hear if any human lives were lost. Now the Australians who have been displaced are joining the mass amounts of people over the globe who are homeless. Just so sad! 😢
 
For anyone who has been fed the suggestion that arsonists are responsible for most of the fires currently ravaging Australia, please read this article, which is based on the facts rather than distractions promoted by vested interests in the fossil fuels industries.

Some arson has occurred but it is definitely not the primary cause of the fires that are currently out of control in multiple states right now.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-11/australias-fires-reveal-arson-not-a-major-cause/11855022
 
Warrigal said:
For anyone who has been fed the suggestion that arsonists are responsible for most of the fires currently ravaging Australia, please read this article, which is based on the facts rather than distractions promoted by vested interests in the fossil fuels industries.

Some arson has occurred but it is definitely not the primary cause of the fires that are currently out of control in multiple states right now.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-11/australias-fires-reveal-arson-not-a-major-cause/11855022
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So the authorities that we have come to trust , suddenly just start arresting / detaining innocent folks ? For what reason...? Now who's creating the distraction from the truth ?
 
rgp said:
So the authorities that we have come to trust , suddenly just start arresting / detaining innocent folks ? For what reason...? Now who's creating the distraction from the truth ?
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No, the arrests are genuine but not all of them are for wilful arson. Some are for ignoring a fire ban and inadvertently causing a fire. The point being made is that most of the big fires have started well away from people by dry lightning. Because of a savage drought coupled with extremely high temperatures these fire are inevitable and have been predicted. Despite the warnings, governments, both state and federal, have routinely reduced funding for firefighters to buy equipment and to do hazard reduction in the ever shrinking period between the end of one fire season and the start of the other.

You have heard the phrase "penny wise and pound foolish" ? That is what happens when budgets determine what is most important, when a surplus is the Holy Grail and when actual experts are sidelined by media personalities. These fires will prove very costly in terms of property, infrastructure, agribusiness and exports and social security support for people made homeless and jobless by these disastrous fires. These costs will far outweigh the cost of transitioning to a zero carbon economy and the returns from mining and exporting coal. Australians have listened to the mantra of affordable reliable energy and lost sight of a future that can deliver the same aim without cooking the planet.

Have I answered your question?
 
Warrigal said:
No, the arrests are genuine but not all of them are for wilful arson. Some are for ignoring a fire ban and inadvertently causing a fire. The point being made is that most of the big fires have started well away from people by dry lightning. Because of a savage drought coupled with extremely high temperatures these fire are inevitable and have been predicted. Despite the warnings, governments, both state and federal, have routinely reduced funding for firefighters to buy equipment and to do hazard reduction in the ever shrinking period between the end of one fire season and the start of the other.

You have heard the phrase "penny wise and pound foolish" ? That is what happens when budgets determine what is most important, when a surplus is the Holy Grail and when actual experts are sidelined by media personalities. These fires will prove very costly in terms of property, infrastructure, agribusiness and exports and social security support for people made homeless and jobless by these disastrous fires. These costs will far outweigh the cost of transitioning to a zero carbon economy and the returns from mining and exporting coal. Australians have listened to the mantra of affordable reliable energy and lost sight of a future that can deliver the same aim without cooking the planet.

Have I answered your question?
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Yes I suppose...to a point.

So your thing is the climate? The earth is 4.5 billion years old [perhaps older] Since temp records have been kept,[with any accuracy] ? the temp of the earth has risen 1.4 degrees since 1880. That's in the last 140 years [if my head math is correct] ? .1 degree per/year. That's not exactly cooking the planet. Isn't warmer, better than colder? Do we really want to go back to another ice age? The earth is one of our greatest resources , we must us it. Is it reasonable to assume that as we use it , it will suffer some effect? of course. But it is also arrogant of us to think that we mere mortals can create this hint of devastation in the the short period of time of&since the industrial revolution.

At this point, and these fires, I'm not sure the cause matter's I hope they get them put out. If the cause [was] nature....? Preventing is almost impossible. If the cause [was] arson...? I hope the authorities prosecute to the max! & I would vote for the death penalty if available .

Stay Safe!
 
Thanks RPG. I am perfectly safe where I live.

I did look at an app yesterday that allowed me to enter my birth year and then to see the temperature anomalies from that time to the present. Never mind 1880, since 1943 Australia has seen increase in the order of 1.5 C. This is why were are now experiencing such widespread and savage mega fires. First comes prolonged drought, then comes the fires.

If I can find it again I will post a link.
 
Warrigal said:
Thanks RPG. I am perfectly safe where I live.

I did look at an app yesterday that allowed me to enter my birth year and then to see the temperature anomalies from that time to the present. Never mind 1880, since 1943 Australia has seen increase in the order of 1.5 C. This is why were are now experiencing such widespread and savage mega fires. First comes prolonged drought, then comes the fires.

If I can find it again I will post a link.
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This is one I have found......Not sure why Australia would be hotter ? May be just an accuracy thing ??

And of course the real culprit is the spark source ! Lightening, perhaps a downed wire sparking....or people......etc.


According to an ongoing temperature analysis conducted by scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), the average global temperature on Earth has increased by about 0.8° Celsius (1.4° Fahrenheit) since 1880.
World of Change: Global Temperatures - NASA Earth ...

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov › world-of-change › DecadalTemp
 
A lot depends on the data sources and how they are combined. Any figures that are published must have an error factor of plus/minus a certain percentage. That is Physics 101, at least it was back in the 1960s when I was doing physics. We always had to calculate the experimental error for any measurements we made and include them in the final calculated figures.

One reason why Australia may be generating different readings is that it is the oldest continent and the flattest. We don't have hot deserts interspersed with snow capped mountain ranges. What we call ranges are little more than areas of slightly higher terrain where the rocks are a bit harder and less eroded than the rest. The inland is pretty flat east to west and north to south.

However, the trend is the same. It is getting hotter over time and the increase cannot be explained away as margin of error..
 
Will that money go for needed equipment to fight the fires?
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An excellent question and we have no idea yet how all of the donated money will be co-ordinated. We are a federal system with states and the commonwealth sharing many areas of responsibility. The federal government has announced a number of initiatives backed by new money and there are existing programs that also apply to assist people who have lost their livelihood. The PM has finally conceded to providing money for fire fighting aircraft.

Animal sanctuaries should be well looked after and pastoralists will receive grants to allow them to restock. Coming after a prolonged drought period, rural Australia was already doing it tough so it is imperative that money be injected into rural towns to avoid their economies collapsing.

Industries that have taken a big hit include wine, honey, fruit, meat and tourism. This event should be a warning. The cost of not acting on CO2 emissions will eventually outweigh the economic cost of moving as quickly as possible to a zero emissions economy.
 
I am following this Thread as I rarely watch TV these days. I can't find the appropriate words to express my thoughts on these terrible fires and the effect it has on the Nation. and the world. It is heartening to know that other countries are helping as much as possible and so they should within their capabilities. I have an online Buddy in Australia and other cyber associates and they are okay at present as far as I know.
 
The Australian bush is adapted to fire. Some seeds need fire to crack them open before they germinate. Trees that have had their leaves burnt and their bark scorched, if the sap wood is untouched, are able to immediately start pushing out new leaves to keep themselves alive. Rain will help both processes.

These trees were burned before Christmas.






This is a seed pod of the banksia that the heat from the fire has cracked open, releasing the seeds.

 
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