Bushfire

Nearly three billion animals are thought to have been impacted by Australia’s devastating summer bushfires.The figure, revealed by conservation group WWF-Australia, is nearly three times the estimate made by Australian mammal expert Professor Chris Dickman in January.WWF-Australia commissioned a group of scientists to provide a more detailed estimate of the…

You might think working with flames would be the last thing 16-year-old Tyler Budden would want.Key points:School science lessons ignited Tyler's interest in blacksmithingIntricate designs help sharpen interest in young knifemaker's workThe teen says orders have come from as far as Dubai and South AmericaHis family's Rainbow Flat property came…

Emergency Leaders for Climate ActionEMERGENCY LEADERS for Climate Action has welcomed the Federal Government’s $88 million funding to expand research into bushfires and natural hazards.“Climate change is increasing bushfire danger in Australia to unprecedented levels, and ongoing research on this rapidly escalating threat is essential,” said Greg Mullins, former Commissioner,…

Australia’s apocalyptic bushfires earlier this year weren’t just unprecedented in their scale and ferocity—they weren’t even supposed to be possible yet. Over the past 20 years, the average percentage of Australia’s “temperate broadleaf and mixed” forests—lots of eucalyptus, basically—that burned each year was 1 percent. During the 2019-2020 fire season,…

Coronavirus restrictions are expected to make it challenging to bring in the international firefighting aircraft and crews that Australia needs in the coming bushfire season.Emergency Management Victoria deputy commissioner Chris Stephenson says the possible impact on international assistance, particularly in terms of aircraft, is an issue across Australia."One of the…

Inadequate evacuation arrangements caused a 6km-long traffic jam during the height of the Adelaide Hills bushfires – A situation which could have killed many of those caught in it if the fire had continued on its path at the time, a review into South Australia’s 2019/20 bushfire season has revealed.Read…

Morgone Vendeputte and her boyfriend's Australian travel dream ended in budget accommodation at the gateway to northern Queensland.Key points:A change to immigration rules allows backpackers who do volunteer work to stay in Australia longerSome travellers have been working with BlazeAid, which repairs farm fences in bushfire-damaged areasThe organisation says it…

Emergency Leaders for Climate ActionCLIMATE CHANGE is exposing the operational limits of current firefighting efforts and forcing a step-change in how Australia responds to more frequent and severe extreme weather events, Emergency Leaders for Climate Action (ELCA) has told the Bushfire Royal Commission.“I’ve been watching the enemy for 50 years…

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Koalas in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) could become extinct by 2050 unless the government immediately intervenes to protect them and their habitat, a parliamentary inquiry determined after a year-long inquiry. Land clearing for agriculture, urban development, mining and forestry had been the biggest…

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia’s Victoria state will implement mandatory coronavirus tests for returning travellers after a sharp spike in infections over the past two weeks, the state’s premier said on Sunday. The country’s second-most populous state had 49 new cases on Sunday, its highest in more than two months and…