Guy Posts A Horrifying Tweet Thread That Reveals The Devastating Power Of The Australian Fires
The climate change issue has come to such a point that not only are people stepping up and shedding light on the matter, but nature itself has started to send obvious and rather dire signals.
It is sad to say that 2019 has been the year of wildfires. First, it was the Amazonian wildfires, claiming 2,240,000 acres of land. Then, the Californian wildfires (Kincade being the largest one), amounting to a total of 259,823 acres burnt. And, now, the ongoing New South Wales bushfires in Australia, with 8,895,794 acres of land destroyed and counting.
Australian bushfires in New South Wales have been raging since the beginning of September 2019
Image Credits: Beyond Coal & Gas
Writer and historian Bodie Ashton took to Twitter to shed some perspective on the wildfire situation in NSW, Australia. His spot-on comments and remarks have drawn the attention of thousands. In just two days, his tweet thread received over 133,000 likes and was retweeted over 72,000 times.
Ashton’s straightforward explanation of the situation has reached hundreds of thousands of people. The situation has gotten so out of hand that a country nearly 2,000 kilometers away—New Zealand—can feel it.
Historian Bodie Ashton came out with a tweet thread accurately explaining the situation
Image credits: manwithoutatan
Image credits: manwithoutatan
Image credits: manwithoutatan
According to Ashton, wildfires have spread so much that they are now as big as some European countries, e.g. Belgium
Image credits: manwithoutatan
Image credits: manwithoutatan
Image credits: manwithoutatan
Bored Panda got in touch with the author of the tweet, Bodie Ashton, to provide some comments and his thoughts on the issue. Dr. Bodie Ashton is a historian in Lower Bavaria, raised and educated in Adelaide, South Australia. He is also a researcher, author, lecturer, editor, and speaker who provides historical consultancy and lectures.
Wildfire containment and prevention seems to have always been problematic in Australia, as explains Ashton: “Bushfires have always been a concern in Australia because of the generally very dry and hot conditions in the summer. The fact that there are fires in summer is therefore an inevitability.”
“What is really concerning at the moment in Australia is the fact that the fires are so widespread.” continued Ashton. “They’ve formed so early in the fire season and are so intense. Ordinarily, state fire services can rely on firefighters from other states to assist.”
Bushfire smoke is causing breathing problems nation-wide—equal to smoking a packet of cigarettes a day
Image credits: manwithoutatan
Image credits: manwithoutatan
Image credits: manwithoutatan
Besides natural land, it is reported that over 1,300 houses were destroyed with 15 dead
Image credits: manwithoutatan
Image credits: manwithoutatan
Image credits: manwithoutatan
It is hard to predict when the fires will be doused as it has become somewhat of a self-reinforcing cycle: “In some places, the fires have formed the right meteorological conditions to create their own lightning storms,” elaborated Ashton. “Lightning will spread the fires if it strikes dry fuel, such as grassland, bark, and so on. With that, too, comes the risk of the wind, which not only changes the direction of the fire-front, but also can carry embers that will set fires kilometres away.”
Bored Panda asked Dr. Ashton to comment a bit on the political climate and possible aftermath of the bushfires. He had this to say: “I think that, if it’s difficult to predict how the fires will develop, it’s more difficult to predict the political situation. The Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has made himself singularly unpopular within the electorate by seeming extremely out of touch—going on holiday to Hawaii was probably the least egregious of his most recent ‘missteps’.”
Dr. Ashton continued: “The problem is not necessarily Morrison in and of himself though; his party, the Liberal National Party, has assumed a very pro-coal and anti-climate science agenda, which has been singled out for comment by (among others) Greta Thunberg.”
Many Australians, including Bodie Ashton, are blaming Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison
Image credits: manwithoutatan
Image credits: manwithoutatan
Here’s a bit of perspective of how far the smoke and ash has traveled from Australia
Image credits: manwithoutatan
“My position on climate change is quite clear—I think the vast weight of scientific evidence speaks for itself,” elaborated Ashton, “while the LNP government holds an ideological stance contrary to that, but to leave that disagreement aside for the moment: this government and its predecessors have been warned for years by scientists from the Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) as well as by numerous other experts, that conditions in Australia are following a trend of becoming more conducive for earlier, larger, widespread, more intense, harder to control fires.”
“The fact that the government—whatever its ideological position on the climate change issue—is singularly unwilling even to entertain a discussion about it, ignores the counsel of its own experts, and instead relegates it to a purely “political issue”, is a clear failure of leadership from a body tasked with safeguarding the wellbeing of the Australian people,” explained Dr. Ashton his position.
Ashton continued: “I don’t like trying to predict the future, but if I were to gamble, I’d say that Morrison might well be finished as Prime Minister after this emergency passes, but in that case it will probably be dealt with internally by the LNP, understanding that he is now too unpopular with the Australian electorate to continue to function in the role. In that case, I fear that there will be some “window-dressing” and some shuffling of ministerial portfolios, but no significant change in who controls the levers of power.”
Ashton also expanded upon his comments with an update tweet
Image credits: manwithoutatan
Image credits: manwithoutatan
Image credits: manwithoutatan
Dr. Ashton concluded the interview with the following: “When I wrote my thread, it was not to claim any expertise—there are fantastic people doing work on this, but I’m not one of them. Instead, I’m a historian from Australia living in Germany, and I’ve come to realise that people couldn’t really visualise what these fires are like on the ground.”
“I want people, then, to understand three things in particular,” continued Ashton. “Firstly: I want them to think of Australia not as some far off place going through an emergency that affects only a small number of people. Instead, I want them to understand that this is a country where the fires in just one state, if you lined them up in a row, could stretch from London to Singapore.
“Secondly: I want them to know of the extraordinary bravery and heroism of Australian firefighters and volunteers. It is only due to them that more people have not been killed, in spite of the fact that they are woefully underfunded and ill-equipped, and many of them are faced with the possibility of extreme financial hardship because they can’t work or can’t fulfil their requirements for their unemployment payments.”
“Finally: I want people to understand that this is something that affects us all. It’s very easy to sit back and think that this is a terrible disaster we can’t do anything about. But we can. The fire services are accepting donations; there are volunteer organizations that have been thrown together so that people who are being evacuated can find somewhere to sleep with host families; even the act of sharing these things on social media might help to reach people who desperately need it.
Needless to say, something has to be done about it as the disaster reached a point where it affects us all
Image credits: Tatiana Gerus
Bored Panda also reached out to Clay Weston, a businessman and car enthusiast from Central Queensland, Australia, to comment on the wildfire issue from the perspective of a citizen living at the doorstep of a natural disaster.
“Central Queensland is relatively unaffected by the tragedy happening in New South Wales and Victoria,” explained Weston. “We have had wildfires in Central Queensland, but they were managed as best as the local emergency services could, volunteers assisted and were utilized to the best of their training and resources.”
A lot of people are blaming Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison for wildfire mismanagement. Many criticize him for failing to make adequate preparations and precautionary measures (as there is a lack of equipment to deal with the fires) and for his economy-over-climate policies. To top it all off, people became enraged by the PM when he left for vacation to Hawaii, effectively leaving everyone else to deal with the fires.
The wildfires are so big that it can be seen from space
Image Credits: European Union, Modified Copernicus Sentinel Data
Weston also said that wildfire prevention and management in Australia has been hectic for a while: “The fact that the forestry has been mismanaged for 20 years can be laid at successive state governments of both political persuasions. No doubt in the aftermath there will still be differing opinions on why the fires are so big.”
As of the moment of this article, the wildfires are still ravaging New South Wales. Nearly 8.9 million acres of land have been burned to the ground, with over 1,300 reported homes lost to the fire and 15 deaths. Haunting red skies are ever-present, hitting pollution levels equivalent to smoking a packet of cigarettes a day.
“My friends from New South Wales tell me that there is up to 1 meter of debris/fuel on the forest floor…” pointed out Weston. “Once that much fuel starts to combust it’s almost impossible to stop in the rugged and inaccessible areas of those forests. The combustion is inevitable as the fires are making their own weather at this point.”
You can donate towards disaster relief and recovery efforts like the Red Cross and St Vincent de Paul Society to make a change and to help Australians affected by the bushfires.
Everything I've heard/read about and all the pictures I saw of the fires in Australia and their consequences for the last few weeks or months are frightening and heartbreaking. I'm so grateful for all the firefighters, army, navy, doctors, vets, volunteers, etc. helping and taking care of properties, nature, animals and people. Without them things would be even worse. And RiP to all who lost their lives
hint hint; even five dollars can help>>>https://www.redcross.org.au/campaigns/disaster-relief-and-recovery-new-years-eve
Load More Replies...Australia's so-called leaders are totally out of touch with reality. So are climate-change deniers. Their heads must be pretty far up their arses!
If we only have 11.5 years left to live, then what does free healthcare, free tuition, and guaranteed jobs in the "Green new deal have to do with this so called climate change ? The worlds weather goes in many cycles through many years. The fires in Ca are from mismanagement of their forest, power lines right though the forest ( tree huggers would not let power line company clear out the path for the lines, so branches / trees fall on lines) Also many were set by arson
Load More Replies...If what you say is true this is an armageddon level crisis. The PM seems to be both ignoring the problem and taunting his own constituency. Talk about Nero fiddling while Rome burned.
Today on a visit to one of the affected areas he held out his hand to a firefighter who said no I don't want to shake your hand. So he then leaned forward and grabbed the guy's hand and shook it anyway. The firefighter got up and walked off (which shows a great deal of restraint because I'd have punched the a*****e if he did that to me, the guy said NO, you don't grab him anyway) He then went to an official and said please apologise to the firefighter but then went on to say 'he's probably just tired' which implies despite the apology he still thinks the firefighter was in the wrong and needs excusing. The official said 'No, he just lost his house'.
Load More Replies...Paying for fireworks in the million while the country faces that disaster, that is just unbelievable! And not paying everyone who fights those fires? I am shocked!
Yes it's disgusting and should have been cancelled... if only they donated that money made to the people that need it most or to help save the precious animals
Load More Replies...The situation here is so bad, it's like being in a car accident when it feels like time has completely slowed down, and you can see the accident unfolding, but there's nothing you can do to stop it. Now it feels like every single day, the news goes from bad to worse. If any of you can afford it, please consider donating to the usual charities ie, Salvation Army Australia, Red Cross Australia and for our poor beleaguered wildlife, World Wildlife Fund Australia and WIRES Australian Wildlife Rescue Organisation. Even just $5 would make a difference. Thanks.
What HAS our Prime Minister been doing while this has been happening? Let's see...pushing changes to a bill that permits groups to refuse to sell contraception, provide women's health, refuse employment to members of a different religion, and refuse to provide hormone therapy. His presser is on the religious discrimination bill. Not the bushfires. A classic 'sneak stuff through while the country is busy with something else' move.
Why was he been elected? He seems to have no leader qualifications.
Load More Replies...They have estimated that 430 million animals have died in these fires and that Kangaroos, koalas and other animal species are likely to go extinct because of them.
Thanks so much for bringing the magnitude of this to the world! I think they think we are all mad! It's horrendous! This is definitely a global crisis and any help lent to Australia would be appreciated. It affects us all in the long run! I live in Sydney and we have intense heat and breathing the air of the smoke from the fires has caused a lot of sickness. Again something that our medical professionals shake off! Must be something else of course?? Saw a video of the prime minister (back from holiday in Hawaii), went to shake a firefighters hand and he told him quite rightly to p**s off! It really is all that you said and more! Thank you for posting.
Also had a child that couldn't breathe so had to call an ambulance for him..... Diagnosis... Croup! Ffs! Longest 10 mins of my life waiting for the ambulance. I thought croup was newborn until around 3? He just turned 6! Complete load of bollox. Also, one of my workers suddenly had asthma again that hadn't had since childhood! She's in her 50's!
Load More Replies...If anyone ever wonders why people hate conservatives, here’s why. They don’t belong on this planet if they hate it so much.
I very much doubt it was conservatives that started these fires. It's greenies who were the ones who had been protesting back-burning.
Load More Replies...jeeze having been to AU and driving from Sydney to Melbourne I still cannot fathom how big this is. Give a look from November Satellite View https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/satellite-images-provide-a-sickening-view-of-australian-fires-from-space/news-story/6ab9675ed08bd1310983089c773251d8
Why were the fires so catastrophic?? Because the Greenies have been protesting against burn offs and saving every tiny bit of nature they can find. I’m an animal lover but their their blinkered obsession didn’t take in the big picture. The big picture is what we have here now. These fires would never have gotten so huge and wouldn’t have carried such devastating power if the national parks had been systematically burnt in the right way. A large proportion of our native flora needs fire to perpetuate their species. Our indigenous people knew how to create clearing fires that helped both the flora and fauna. Our indigenous people have been ignored for decades instead of being consulted in the care of the country that they tended for thousands of years.
Actually the greenies don’t have enough political power to make those decisions. There are a few reasons as to why it is so devastating and controlled burn offs are one of the reasons but the fact is we have been in a severe drought and our land, grasses and trees are just so dry. We are pretty much a country of tinder. Then we are having dry electrical storms causing lightening, then the arsonists, strong winds, lack of resources, lack of funding, extreme heat, the government waiting too long to get extra help before it got this far. A lot of it comes down to poor land management, emergency funding cuts and climate. I think the Indigineous should be our land caretakers, they obviously know how to look after it better than us. It also gives the most disadvantage people in Australia jobs. And it passes on the knowledge down through their generations.
Load More Replies...It would be good to hear about how 200 years of land clearing for cows has affected forest cover, and the effect that has had on rainfall patterns.
I am living in the smoke. >>>You can donate towards disaster relief and recovery efforts like the Red Cross and St Vincent de Paul Society to make a change and to help Australians affected by the bushfires.<<<<
https://www.redcross.org.au/campaigns/disaster-relief-and-recovery-new-years-eve
Load More Replies...Thank you for some details that I felt were lacking. Being from California, I was looking for some perspective on the size and the stories I found gave very little.
This might help, if you can get it to work, please read on the site how long it was since satellite passes. >>https://hotspots.dea.ga.gov.au/
Load More Replies...It's both scary and insane how big these fires are! I was afraid the summer of 2018 when we in Sweden had multiple fires "like everywhere" - which I mean as a figure of speech, of course. Those fires scared me and I never got close to it as I didn't live near them. But the Australian fires are much much bigger and has lasted much longer too. I know that the fires in Sweden was finally beaten by bombing some places (Google it!), somehow that actually worked as the explosions took the oxygene and the fires suffocated. That might work for Australia too?
As Night Owl says, they're just too big. Plus they're occurring where trees and brush are - that is, where people are. We have very little water in Australia, so people and vegetation cluster together. If you look at a map of Australia and examine where it's green? That's where it's burning, and where people are. Plus, yeah, we have pyronimbulous clouds that send out lightning and fire tornadoes that reach up into the atmosphere.
Load More Replies...it was my 2 friends who died, along with 52 of 80 homes lost on november 8th @ wytaliba community. the ones barnaby joyce joked about. just want to set the record straight here - one voted labour, the other elderly gentleman voted sex party - for life. he was, in his own words "a sexy senior citizen" . (as well as a f*****g legend) <3
I live in Australia. This morning I woke up to see a dark yellow sky. We have to wear masks everywhere no matter where we are. We are tuned into the radio every waking minute, with suitcases full of survival kits and possessions stacked in the car just in case. Every afternoon we spray our house with water to make it harder for it to burn. Every day we go over our survival plan. As a person who loves to read, it seems hard to imagine that it's actually happening to suburban Australia.
Scomo isn't helping either. He was pretty much like 'bye bitches' and went to the other side of the globe on holiday whilst his country burned. He came back and said, 'I promised my daughters'. NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR FRICKING DAUGHTERS WHEN A WHOLE COUNTRY IS BURNING DOWN MAN
Load More Replies...Whilst NSW is struggling with fires there are also major devastating fires across the country especially in QLD, VIC and SA. Over 4000 people were stranded on a beach because they could not get out because of fires, thankfully a military ship came and transported them after being stuck for 2-3 days. Kangaroo Island in SA is in serious trouble with fires that is now classed as virtually unstoppable. Over one third of the island is alight. There are approx 21 people missing in the VIC fires at the moment. There have been 24 lives lost and many people injured. We are not going to be seeing an end any time soon, especially as we are still in early summer. Here is a website that is constantly updating live information regarding the Australian fires if anyone is interested. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2020/jan/04/australia-nsw-fires-live-updates-victoria-bushfires-rfs-cfa-road-closures-near-sydney-melbourne-latest-news
My heart is breaking from all this devastation, lives lost, homes destroyed etc. Our firefighters, volunteers, other emergency services etc are stretched to capacity and are exhausted. We desperately need some good rain to give our country a good soaking. The whole situation puts a new meaning to the poem “Our country”. https://www.dorotheamackellar.com.au/archive/mycountry.htm
Load More Replies...Most of the fires have been deliberately lit. https://www.theepochtimes.com/nearly-200-people-arrested-in-australia-for-deliberately-lighting-bushfires_3195827.html
Hundreds of fires have been set by arsonists. Would love to see a list of names. That's not climate change - it's climate crime.
Hundreds of fires have been set by arsonists. Would love to see a list of names.
One of the leading items I take away from this... Australian politicians are complete f*****g morons exactly the same as American politicians
As someone who lives in California + has experienced fires, please help if you can.
One correction. The New Years fireworks were cancelled in Canberra due to the fire hazard and the fact that our normally clean air was 15 times the safe limit.
Why are the Australian Army not being sent in to help the firefighters. We had some moor fires here in the UK - nowhere near the size of yours - but the army went in almost from the start. It is just ridiculous to expect a regular group of firefighters plus volunteers to deal with this catastrophe.
The army was finally called in yesterday (Saturday). 3000 service men and women are now assisting with this national crisis. What little positive feeling towards the PM this created amongst the Australian public was pretty much destroyed when 2 hours later he released a commercial spruiking his actions to try and regain some semblance of positive public opinion. Needless to say his grandstanding was not looked upon favourably. While our country burns down around us he has proven time and time again how little empathy he has.
Load More Replies...I can’t understand why all those that fight the fires are not paid? People are expected to work in terrible and dangerous conditions with NO PAY For long hours and for months, like, these fires are no big deal, you can just leave them really, people don’t need to leave their jobs or give up their EI!
A different side of the Australian Bushfires has been covered especially from the point of view of nature that many don't take into account. I'm by no means a hippie but there are two sides including politics: http://hermessyndicate.com/different-side-to-the-australian-bush-fires/
Except these fires were set by humans. Yes climate change must be addressed, but it did not cause these fires. Chain gang the perpetrators and make them work the front line.
This is extremely devastating, interesting comments, who to blame, nature or politics !!!
These fires are completely devastating. And it sounds like their PM is a clone of our Trump..prayers for All involved in this tragedy..and yes everyone who can,should donate as much as they can!!
I am European but Australia has been a big part of my life through books,films,tv plus my brother lived there for years.Starting with Skippy,the bush kangaroo when my kids were small,Crocodile Dundee as well,series like MKR and House rules,I feel I know these people and hope they are well and safe..and much loved books,Bruce Chatwin´s The Songlines,the Real People Down Under and The Rabbit Fence and I could go on and on.Australian Beer commercials,you laugh your head off..My mother in her 80ties never missed the nature show of Steve Irwing and mourned his death...Australia is not just the country where everything wants to kill you,fire not on the list till now,but part of our daily life and we are hurting now...and by the way,the Platypus was my youngest sons favourite animal name when he was 7 and he knew all about it.
Much is being said about drought being to blame. Soon it will be floods making news. Where does all the water go when this happens? Why can't it be saved? Because Australia is too lousey to spend on infastructure or plan long term. The 'it'll be right mate' attitude is the country's undoing. It most certainly isn't alright now!
When the ground is extremely arid from long drought it cant cope with a sudden deluge of water, as in any other place. The bushland doesn't have infrastructure, it's immense and filled with mostly smaller towns, unfortunately generally built close to the Bush (rather than in the desert). The giant firefighting aircraft are used in the northern hemisphere during their fire season, and southern hem during ours. But now the fire seasons run longer and overlap
Load More Replies...Our prime minister doesn’t give a f**k about Australia cause he is an evangelical idiot who believes this is the rapture and he and his mates will be ascending to heaven any minute now and we can all burn in hell
Our prime minister is an evangelical, he thinks this is the rapture and that he and his mates are now going to arise and go to heaven so he doesn’t give a f**k that we are all burning or anything about climate change cause he will be in heaven
I live in Victoria in a bush fire zone, luckily not affected in the current fires. The article overstates the political aspect. In reality the problem isn't mismanagement, it's drought. Australia is not getting anything like enough rain to dampen the fires or stop them spreading.
It is both, the government cut vital emergency funding last year which means less resources, people, trucks etc. Then add the fact that the government has taken this long to bring in the military. If we had more world wide help and military help 2 months ago these fires would not have spread so far. But drought, strong winds, lightning etc are also huge issues and sadly so is arson. 2 men in SA have just been arrested today on arson charges. A 79 year old male near Mount Gambier and a man in his 30’s at Aldinga.
Load More Replies...The wild koala population is endangered because of these fires. The Australia Zoo is on Sunshine Coast and they are not effected by the fires but their wildlife hospital is full of animals that survived the fires.
It's effectively extinct as it's specialises diet of eucalyptus leaves is all but wiped out :( it's been changed to some special status in between endangered and extinct
Load More Replies...Please search local Facebook pages, many towns are collecting nappies, toothpaste, sanitary items, painkillers etc that are DESPERATELY needed to be delivered to stranded towns
Powerful explanation of what's going on. It's extremely hard for people to comprehend just how terrible these fires are and their destruction. For me from another video within a different story on here, it is the image of the rescued koala whose leg fur was on fire that really struck a chord with me. We hear, we attempt to understand but things like this are impossible to comprehend. This above story has really helped. For every one caught up with the fires, rescuing people, saving homes, animals and land or trying to live through this, may their Gods be with them ❤
I lived in Camden, NSW, Australia in high school and have returned several times including two years ago. The fires breaks my heart and is absolutely devastating!
I am trying to picture an unbroken 12,000 km fireline in a country 4,000 km across. There must be some miscommunication.
Edit: sorry it is not unbroken. It was approximately the circumference around all the fires. Was... it is Sat. 16:30 hours now. and it is mostly all getting worse.
Load More Replies...Guess what was notification next to this? It was about flooded Venecia. The global warming is total farse and USA has currently the best president of all times. Every time I see Trump's pic, I think - ''Orange is the new black - someone should comedy movie called like that.'' But sadly it's not ''good'' black anymore
Bodie Ashton has done an INTERNATIONAL SERVICE by summing up the situation environmentally, politically, and on a humanitarian basis. It's sad that the Australian majority continues to inflict idiots and jerks on that country. Sorry the idiot POTUS has a golf weekend and won't send help.
Every nation has the govt it deserves. Stupid Aussies! Poor animals!!
Jeez these fires are no joke. That's a lot of devastation. Haha, I knew Greta's name would be brought up because of course it's because of climate change. Maybe it was, maybe not. We literally can never know for certain but that won't stop the mob from insisting they know the truth, and from mentally unstable 16yr old from How Dare-ing the world about it.
This is our karma for consistently electing right wingers to Parliament. Barnaby Joyce and Israel Folau were totally wrong.
This is a serious situation, and a sad situation, no doubt. But let's keep some perspective. In 2019, bush fires burned 8 million acres in Australia. In the 2002-2003 bushfire, 51 million acres were burned. That's six times more area. Yes, we should do something, and yes, it's tragic. I 100% agree on that. But this is not Australia's first fire, nor is it the worst.
Similarly, you are not interpreting this data correctly. The problem is not just a question of which season of fires that destroyed more or less forest. The problem is the additive effect that each fire season leaves on the environment. Each time a major devastation such as the present occurs, the environment suffers irreversible losses on a larger or smaller scale, which over time can cause environmental changes incompatible with the existence of various species of plants and animals, ie extinctions. Several studies show what is happening over time with the ecology of Australia. Please read this: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.12674
Load More Replies...OK, let's just put these tweets in some actual perspective. And I am not a supporter of the PM. But first, when he left for 5 days off the fires were just 'normal' fires. Next, the firworks were contracted and paid for about 14 months ago and the money could not be diverted to charity -it would have been a dead loss. Pointless to cancel, and most of the calls to cancel came from people not affected by the fires. Most country people affected, including me, loved seeing them. Next, the cause of the fire is a complex interaction of weather events in oceans around Australia. Whilst severe, they have happened before and will again. The property losses are great because development has pushed up into bush areas causing lots of huses to be at risk. Finally, although media love the one or two disgruntled peopel attacking the PM on visits, most people are pleased to see him attend, engage in civil dialogue about their own feelings and are happy the army is helping.
I've seen streets of ppl telling his to f off when comes to visit. In multiple places.
Load More Replies...Hey moron - bushfires of this magnitude? Not normal in the slightest. Half the reason they are so catastrophic is because fuel reduction burning has come to almost a grinding halt - why? Because the portion of the year that is too dry and too hot to safely do so has pretty much doubled, as our winters get perpetually drier and hotter. Their window of opportunity do do so safely has shrunk to almost nothing. So when we then get a bushfire, half the state ends up being kindling, resulting in this.
Load More Replies...F**k off, seriously. My country is on fire you a*****e, thousands of people homeless, animals practically extinct..no end in sight. Bet you think the earth is flat and the moon landing was fake.
Load More Replies...Everything I've heard/read about and all the pictures I saw of the fires in Australia and their consequences for the last few weeks or months are frightening and heartbreaking. I'm so grateful for all the firefighters, army, navy, doctors, vets, volunteers, etc. helping and taking care of properties, nature, animals and people. Without them things would be even worse. And RiP to all who lost their lives
hint hint; even five dollars can help>>>https://www.redcross.org.au/campaigns/disaster-relief-and-recovery-new-years-eve
Load More Replies...Australia's so-called leaders are totally out of touch with reality. So are climate-change deniers. Their heads must be pretty far up their arses!
If we only have 11.5 years left to live, then what does free healthcare, free tuition, and guaranteed jobs in the "Green new deal have to do with this so called climate change ? The worlds weather goes in many cycles through many years. The fires in Ca are from mismanagement of their forest, power lines right though the forest ( tree huggers would not let power line company clear out the path for the lines, so branches / trees fall on lines) Also many were set by arson
Load More Replies...If what you say is true this is an armageddon level crisis. The PM seems to be both ignoring the problem and taunting his own constituency. Talk about Nero fiddling while Rome burned.
Today on a visit to one of the affected areas he held out his hand to a firefighter who said no I don't want to shake your hand. So he then leaned forward and grabbed the guy's hand and shook it anyway. The firefighter got up and walked off (which shows a great deal of restraint because I'd have punched the a*****e if he did that to me, the guy said NO, you don't grab him anyway) He then went to an official and said please apologise to the firefighter but then went on to say 'he's probably just tired' which implies despite the apology he still thinks the firefighter was in the wrong and needs excusing. The official said 'No, he just lost his house'.
Load More Replies...Paying for fireworks in the million while the country faces that disaster, that is just unbelievable! And not paying everyone who fights those fires? I am shocked!
Yes it's disgusting and should have been cancelled... if only they donated that money made to the people that need it most or to help save the precious animals
Load More Replies...The situation here is so bad, it's like being in a car accident when it feels like time has completely slowed down, and you can see the accident unfolding, but there's nothing you can do to stop it. Now it feels like every single day, the news goes from bad to worse. If any of you can afford it, please consider donating to the usual charities ie, Salvation Army Australia, Red Cross Australia and for our poor beleaguered wildlife, World Wildlife Fund Australia and WIRES Australian Wildlife Rescue Organisation. Even just $5 would make a difference. Thanks.
What HAS our Prime Minister been doing while this has been happening? Let's see...pushing changes to a bill that permits groups to refuse to sell contraception, provide women's health, refuse employment to members of a different religion, and refuse to provide hormone therapy. His presser is on the religious discrimination bill. Not the bushfires. A classic 'sneak stuff through while the country is busy with something else' move.
Why was he been elected? He seems to have no leader qualifications.
Load More Replies...They have estimated that 430 million animals have died in these fires and that Kangaroos, koalas and other animal species are likely to go extinct because of them.
Thanks so much for bringing the magnitude of this to the world! I think they think we are all mad! It's horrendous! This is definitely a global crisis and any help lent to Australia would be appreciated. It affects us all in the long run! I live in Sydney and we have intense heat and breathing the air of the smoke from the fires has caused a lot of sickness. Again something that our medical professionals shake off! Must be something else of course?? Saw a video of the prime minister (back from holiday in Hawaii), went to shake a firefighters hand and he told him quite rightly to p**s off! It really is all that you said and more! Thank you for posting.
Also had a child that couldn't breathe so had to call an ambulance for him..... Diagnosis... Croup! Ffs! Longest 10 mins of my life waiting for the ambulance. I thought croup was newborn until around 3? He just turned 6! Complete load of bollox. Also, one of my workers suddenly had asthma again that hadn't had since childhood! She's in her 50's!
Load More Replies...If anyone ever wonders why people hate conservatives, here’s why. They don’t belong on this planet if they hate it so much.
I very much doubt it was conservatives that started these fires. It's greenies who were the ones who had been protesting back-burning.
Load More Replies...jeeze having been to AU and driving from Sydney to Melbourne I still cannot fathom how big this is. Give a look from November Satellite View https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/satellite-images-provide-a-sickening-view-of-australian-fires-from-space/news-story/6ab9675ed08bd1310983089c773251d8
Why were the fires so catastrophic?? Because the Greenies have been protesting against burn offs and saving every tiny bit of nature they can find. I’m an animal lover but their their blinkered obsession didn’t take in the big picture. The big picture is what we have here now. These fires would never have gotten so huge and wouldn’t have carried such devastating power if the national parks had been systematically burnt in the right way. A large proportion of our native flora needs fire to perpetuate their species. Our indigenous people knew how to create clearing fires that helped both the flora and fauna. Our indigenous people have been ignored for decades instead of being consulted in the care of the country that they tended for thousands of years.
Actually the greenies don’t have enough political power to make those decisions. There are a few reasons as to why it is so devastating and controlled burn offs are one of the reasons but the fact is we have been in a severe drought and our land, grasses and trees are just so dry. We are pretty much a country of tinder. Then we are having dry electrical storms causing lightening, then the arsonists, strong winds, lack of resources, lack of funding, extreme heat, the government waiting too long to get extra help before it got this far. A lot of it comes down to poor land management, emergency funding cuts and climate. I think the Indigineous should be our land caretakers, they obviously know how to look after it better than us. It also gives the most disadvantage people in Australia jobs. And it passes on the knowledge down through their generations.
Load More Replies...It would be good to hear about how 200 years of land clearing for cows has affected forest cover, and the effect that has had on rainfall patterns.
I am living in the smoke. >>>You can donate towards disaster relief and recovery efforts like the Red Cross and St Vincent de Paul Society to make a change and to help Australians affected by the bushfires.<<<<
https://www.redcross.org.au/campaigns/disaster-relief-and-recovery-new-years-eve
Load More Replies...Thank you for some details that I felt were lacking. Being from California, I was looking for some perspective on the size and the stories I found gave very little.
This might help, if you can get it to work, please read on the site how long it was since satellite passes. >>https://hotspots.dea.ga.gov.au/
Load More Replies...It's both scary and insane how big these fires are! I was afraid the summer of 2018 when we in Sweden had multiple fires "like everywhere" - which I mean as a figure of speech, of course. Those fires scared me and I never got close to it as I didn't live near them. But the Australian fires are much much bigger and has lasted much longer too. I know that the fires in Sweden was finally beaten by bombing some places (Google it!), somehow that actually worked as the explosions took the oxygene and the fires suffocated. That might work for Australia too?
As Night Owl says, they're just too big. Plus they're occurring where trees and brush are - that is, where people are. We have very little water in Australia, so people and vegetation cluster together. If you look at a map of Australia and examine where it's green? That's where it's burning, and where people are. Plus, yeah, we have pyronimbulous clouds that send out lightning and fire tornadoes that reach up into the atmosphere.
Load More Replies...it was my 2 friends who died, along with 52 of 80 homes lost on november 8th @ wytaliba community. the ones barnaby joyce joked about. just want to set the record straight here - one voted labour, the other elderly gentleman voted sex party - for life. he was, in his own words "a sexy senior citizen" . (as well as a f*****g legend) <3
I live in Australia. This morning I woke up to see a dark yellow sky. We have to wear masks everywhere no matter where we are. We are tuned into the radio every waking minute, with suitcases full of survival kits and possessions stacked in the car just in case. Every afternoon we spray our house with water to make it harder for it to burn. Every day we go over our survival plan. As a person who loves to read, it seems hard to imagine that it's actually happening to suburban Australia.
Scomo isn't helping either. He was pretty much like 'bye bitches' and went to the other side of the globe on holiday whilst his country burned. He came back and said, 'I promised my daughters'. NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR FRICKING DAUGHTERS WHEN A WHOLE COUNTRY IS BURNING DOWN MAN
Load More Replies...Whilst NSW is struggling with fires there are also major devastating fires across the country especially in QLD, VIC and SA. Over 4000 people were stranded on a beach because they could not get out because of fires, thankfully a military ship came and transported them after being stuck for 2-3 days. Kangaroo Island in SA is in serious trouble with fires that is now classed as virtually unstoppable. Over one third of the island is alight. There are approx 21 people missing in the VIC fires at the moment. There have been 24 lives lost and many people injured. We are not going to be seeing an end any time soon, especially as we are still in early summer. Here is a website that is constantly updating live information regarding the Australian fires if anyone is interested. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2020/jan/04/australia-nsw-fires-live-updates-victoria-bushfires-rfs-cfa-road-closures-near-sydney-melbourne-latest-news
My heart is breaking from all this devastation, lives lost, homes destroyed etc. Our firefighters, volunteers, other emergency services etc are stretched to capacity and are exhausted. We desperately need some good rain to give our country a good soaking. The whole situation puts a new meaning to the poem “Our country”. https://www.dorotheamackellar.com.au/archive/mycountry.htm
Load More Replies...Most of the fires have been deliberately lit. https://www.theepochtimes.com/nearly-200-people-arrested-in-australia-for-deliberately-lighting-bushfires_3195827.html
Hundreds of fires have been set by arsonists. Would love to see a list of names. That's not climate change - it's climate crime.
Hundreds of fires have been set by arsonists. Would love to see a list of names.
One of the leading items I take away from this... Australian politicians are complete f*****g morons exactly the same as American politicians
As someone who lives in California + has experienced fires, please help if you can.
One correction. The New Years fireworks were cancelled in Canberra due to the fire hazard and the fact that our normally clean air was 15 times the safe limit.
Why are the Australian Army not being sent in to help the firefighters. We had some moor fires here in the UK - nowhere near the size of yours - but the army went in almost from the start. It is just ridiculous to expect a regular group of firefighters plus volunteers to deal with this catastrophe.
The army was finally called in yesterday (Saturday). 3000 service men and women are now assisting with this national crisis. What little positive feeling towards the PM this created amongst the Australian public was pretty much destroyed when 2 hours later he released a commercial spruiking his actions to try and regain some semblance of positive public opinion. Needless to say his grandstanding was not looked upon favourably. While our country burns down around us he has proven time and time again how little empathy he has.
Load More Replies...I can’t understand why all those that fight the fires are not paid? People are expected to work in terrible and dangerous conditions with NO PAY For long hours and for months, like, these fires are no big deal, you can just leave them really, people don’t need to leave their jobs or give up their EI!
A different side of the Australian Bushfires has been covered especially from the point of view of nature that many don't take into account. I'm by no means a hippie but there are two sides including politics: http://hermessyndicate.com/different-side-to-the-australian-bush-fires/
Except these fires were set by humans. Yes climate change must be addressed, but it did not cause these fires. Chain gang the perpetrators and make them work the front line.
This is extremely devastating, interesting comments, who to blame, nature or politics !!!
These fires are completely devastating. And it sounds like their PM is a clone of our Trump..prayers for All involved in this tragedy..and yes everyone who can,should donate as much as they can!!
I am European but Australia has been a big part of my life through books,films,tv plus my brother lived there for years.Starting with Skippy,the bush kangaroo when my kids were small,Crocodile Dundee as well,series like MKR and House rules,I feel I know these people and hope they are well and safe..and much loved books,Bruce Chatwin´s The Songlines,the Real People Down Under and The Rabbit Fence and I could go on and on.Australian Beer commercials,you laugh your head off..My mother in her 80ties never missed the nature show of Steve Irwing and mourned his death...Australia is not just the country where everything wants to kill you,fire not on the list till now,but part of our daily life and we are hurting now...and by the way,the Platypus was my youngest sons favourite animal name when he was 7 and he knew all about it.
Much is being said about drought being to blame. Soon it will be floods making news. Where does all the water go when this happens? Why can't it be saved? Because Australia is too lousey to spend on infastructure or plan long term. The 'it'll be right mate' attitude is the country's undoing. It most certainly isn't alright now!
When the ground is extremely arid from long drought it cant cope with a sudden deluge of water, as in any other place. The bushland doesn't have infrastructure, it's immense and filled with mostly smaller towns, unfortunately generally built close to the Bush (rather than in the desert). The giant firefighting aircraft are used in the northern hemisphere during their fire season, and southern hem during ours. But now the fire seasons run longer and overlap
Load More Replies...Our prime minister doesn’t give a f**k about Australia cause he is an evangelical idiot who believes this is the rapture and he and his mates will be ascending to heaven any minute now and we can all burn in hell
Our prime minister is an evangelical, he thinks this is the rapture and that he and his mates are now going to arise and go to heaven so he doesn’t give a f**k that we are all burning or anything about climate change cause he will be in heaven
I live in Victoria in a bush fire zone, luckily not affected in the current fires. The article overstates the political aspect. In reality the problem isn't mismanagement, it's drought. Australia is not getting anything like enough rain to dampen the fires or stop them spreading.
It is both, the government cut vital emergency funding last year which means less resources, people, trucks etc. Then add the fact that the government has taken this long to bring in the military. If we had more world wide help and military help 2 months ago these fires would not have spread so far. But drought, strong winds, lightning etc are also huge issues and sadly so is arson. 2 men in SA have just been arrested today on arson charges. A 79 year old male near Mount Gambier and a man in his 30’s at Aldinga.
Load More Replies...The wild koala population is endangered because of these fires. The Australia Zoo is on Sunshine Coast and they are not effected by the fires but their wildlife hospital is full of animals that survived the fires.
It's effectively extinct as it's specialises diet of eucalyptus leaves is all but wiped out :( it's been changed to some special status in between endangered and extinct
Load More Replies...Please search local Facebook pages, many towns are collecting nappies, toothpaste, sanitary items, painkillers etc that are DESPERATELY needed to be delivered to stranded towns
Powerful explanation of what's going on. It's extremely hard for people to comprehend just how terrible these fires are and their destruction. For me from another video within a different story on here, it is the image of the rescued koala whose leg fur was on fire that really struck a chord with me. We hear, we attempt to understand but things like this are impossible to comprehend. This above story has really helped. For every one caught up with the fires, rescuing people, saving homes, animals and land or trying to live through this, may their Gods be with them ❤
I lived in Camden, NSW, Australia in high school and have returned several times including two years ago. The fires breaks my heart and is absolutely devastating!
I am trying to picture an unbroken 12,000 km fireline in a country 4,000 km across. There must be some miscommunication.
Edit: sorry it is not unbroken. It was approximately the circumference around all the fires. Was... it is Sat. 16:30 hours now. and it is mostly all getting worse.
Load More Replies...Guess what was notification next to this? It was about flooded Venecia. The global warming is total farse and USA has currently the best president of all times. Every time I see Trump's pic, I think - ''Orange is the new black - someone should comedy movie called like that.'' But sadly it's not ''good'' black anymore
Bodie Ashton has done an INTERNATIONAL SERVICE by summing up the situation environmentally, politically, and on a humanitarian basis. It's sad that the Australian majority continues to inflict idiots and jerks on that country. Sorry the idiot POTUS has a golf weekend and won't send help.
Every nation has the govt it deserves. Stupid Aussies! Poor animals!!
Jeez these fires are no joke. That's a lot of devastation. Haha, I knew Greta's name would be brought up because of course it's because of climate change. Maybe it was, maybe not. We literally can never know for certain but that won't stop the mob from insisting they know the truth, and from mentally unstable 16yr old from How Dare-ing the world about it.
This is our karma for consistently electing right wingers to Parliament. Barnaby Joyce and Israel Folau were totally wrong.
This is a serious situation, and a sad situation, no doubt. But let's keep some perspective. In 2019, bush fires burned 8 million acres in Australia. In the 2002-2003 bushfire, 51 million acres were burned. That's six times more area. Yes, we should do something, and yes, it's tragic. I 100% agree on that. But this is not Australia's first fire, nor is it the worst.
Similarly, you are not interpreting this data correctly. The problem is not just a question of which season of fires that destroyed more or less forest. The problem is the additive effect that each fire season leaves on the environment. Each time a major devastation such as the present occurs, the environment suffers irreversible losses on a larger or smaller scale, which over time can cause environmental changes incompatible with the existence of various species of plants and animals, ie extinctions. Several studies show what is happening over time with the ecology of Australia. Please read this: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.12674
Load More Replies...OK, let's just put these tweets in some actual perspective. And I am not a supporter of the PM. But first, when he left for 5 days off the fires were just 'normal' fires. Next, the firworks were contracted and paid for about 14 months ago and the money could not be diverted to charity -it would have been a dead loss. Pointless to cancel, and most of the calls to cancel came from people not affected by the fires. Most country people affected, including me, loved seeing them. Next, the cause of the fire is a complex interaction of weather events in oceans around Australia. Whilst severe, they have happened before and will again. The property losses are great because development has pushed up into bush areas causing lots of huses to be at risk. Finally, although media love the one or two disgruntled peopel attacking the PM on visits, most people are pleased to see him attend, engage in civil dialogue about their own feelings and are happy the army is helping.
I've seen streets of ppl telling his to f off when comes to visit. In multiple places.
Load More Replies...Hey moron - bushfires of this magnitude? Not normal in the slightest. Half the reason they are so catastrophic is because fuel reduction burning has come to almost a grinding halt - why? Because the portion of the year that is too dry and too hot to safely do so has pretty much doubled, as our winters get perpetually drier and hotter. Their window of opportunity do do so safely has shrunk to almost nothing. So when we then get a bushfire, half the state ends up being kindling, resulting in this.
Load More Replies...F**k off, seriously. My country is on fire you a*****e, thousands of people homeless, animals practically extinct..no end in sight. Bet you think the earth is flat and the moon landing was fake.
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