In Australia, bushfires are so commonplace that they have a season named after it – the ‘fire season. In fact, in Australia, the fire season occurs for most of the year. What is extraordinary is that fire season is not just a few months; in many states in Australia, it continues nearly year-round. The last quarter of 2019 and the start of 2020 saw devastating bushfires across a region that has become all too familiar with death and destruction, as dozens of people died in such catastrophes in Tasmania and Victoria. The causes of these tragic bushfires were no surprise – most of them can be attributed to factors such as weather, climate change, lightning strikes, or arson.
The immediate cause for the extreme season was the parched lands that resulted from a drought that began three years ago. In a continent accustomed to periodic droughts, 2019 was the hottest and driest year ever recorded.
The annual mean temperature was 1.5 °C above the 1961–90 average of 21.8°, surpassing the previous record of 1.33° set in 2013. (Coincidentally, 1.5° above preindustrial levels is the aspirational global ceiling set in the 2015 Paris climate agreement.
Australia had an all-time average high temperature of 40.3° on 17 December, but that was topped the next day with a reading of 40.7°. The nation’s average rainfall totaled 277.6 mm last year, well below the previous record low of 314.5 mm established in 1902.
Physical and Economic Impact: The effects were far-reaching and more economic than physical. Household losses included the loss of furniture, clothing, and personal documents. Business losses included the total destruction of manufacturing facilities, their products, machines, and equipment. The physical impact on the environment was devastating; for instance, there was the loss of vast forests and the animals that resided within them.
Impact on Ecology and Biodiversity: Australia was once home to a plethora of unique species of flora and fauna. However, over the last several decade's human impacts has curbed Australia’s biodiversity growth and in turn, caused the movement of species either to other continents or caused their extinction. Although the scale of biodiversity loss cannot be estimated due to insufficient data, as per studies conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency, there is no doubt about the fact that Australia has witnessed depletion in numbers of some species like Giant pandas.
Public Health: Millions of acres have been burned by wildfires each year and the air pollution from them causes a great deal of damage to human health. Those who don’t die from breathing smoke are likely to suffer more serious respiratory problems in the future, which will likely require extended hospitalization, followed by years of costly medical treatments. These wildfires, which come in all shapes and sizes, are found around the world.
Impact on Agriculture: Numerous impacts of forest fires on Australia’s agriculture industry are likely to appear. The impact can be both direct and indirect. The major direct impacts include loss of crops, soil erosion, and decreased production in the form of bio-fuel. There are also numerous indirect impacts that are likely to have a long-lasting effect, which will become visible in the coming years.