By Virginia Angle

Wildfires have ransacked Australia over the last few months, devastating homes and incinerating millions of plants and animals. Since the fire season began in late July, the deadly flames, in both massive and isolated blazes, have killed 28 people and up to half a billion animals. According to The Washington Post, “Landscapes that are usually resistant to fire — including rainforests home to rare, vulnerable species — are going up in flames.” Although the flames have ravaged every Australian state and territory, New South Wales has been hit the hardest. Melbourne and Sydney, two of Australia’s largest cities, have also been greatly affected by the fires. In these cities, many homes have been crippled, and CNN reports that “earlier in December, the smoke was so bad in Sydney that air quality measured 11 times the hazardous level.”  

Every year, the sweltering Australian summer heat (during our winter) and dry lightning create small fires throughout the country. This year, Australia’s hottest and driest summer season yet, the unprecedented flames have been worsened by severe heat and drought. Additionally, strong winds rapidly spread the deadly flames. 

Weather conditions are not the only reason for the fires.  According to CNN, “[New South Wales] police have charged at least 24 people with deliberately starting bushfires, and have taken legal action against 183 people for fire-related offenses since November.” Nearly a quarter million Australians were urged at some point to evacuate their homes to escape the roaring flames.

Australian residents, fearful about the future of their country, are becoming increasingly frustrated with Prime Minister Scott Morrison. In the midst of the disastrous fires, Morrison took a family vacation to Hawaii. According to the BBC, “Morrison’s office initially denied he was in Hawaii, but then a picture emerged on social media apparently showing him posing with other tourists on a beach drinking a beer.” When his attempt to cover up the trip failed, Morrison was highly criticized for his absence. 

In addition to his family getaway, Morrison’s unconcerned and detached response to the fires has been discouraging for already angry Australians. The New York Times says that “Morrison has minimized the connection between climate change and Australia’s extreme environmental conditions, even as the country just completed its hottest and driest year on record.” Australians, desperate for relief, are infuriated that the government is “no longer protecting them in the way it once did.”

Along with the effect of the mass flames and smoke on humans, the wildfires have substantially impacted the animals and plants in Australia. As stated by ecologists from the University of Sydney, “That number of total animals affected could be as high as one billion nationwide.” This number includes animals that have been directly killed by the blazes, along with those that have died from dehydration, starvation, and loss of habitat. In New South Wales, almost a third of all koalas are believed to have been killed, and a third of their habitat has been destroyed. Before the fires, the rare animals were already hunted. With 300 species of animals native to the country, Australia faces the threat of extinction of many of their animals. 

The Australian Open, a tennis tournament held every January in Melbourne, has experienced severe issues with air quality. “Victoria’s Environment Protection Authority warned Melbourne’s citizens to stay indoors, and keep windows and door shut, and the state’s chief health officer called the city’s overnight air quality ‘the worst in the world,”’ reports The Washington Post. Athletes have complained of not being able to breathe due to the haze in the air. 

There is no easy solution to ending the wildfires and their rapid escalation. Thousands of firefighters from around the world, including volunteers from the western United States, are desperately trying to battle the flames using both aircraft and land-based resources. Donations have come streaming in from all kinds of people, from the band Metallica to Kylie Jenner. Australian billionaires, such as media mogul Rupert Murdoch and Australian mining billionaire Andrew Forrest, have donated a reported $54 billion to the efforts. The fires continue to roar in Australia, and the future is still unknown for the despairing country.