Australia is Still Burning, here’s what you can do.

By: Araliya Dooldeniya

Since early September 2019, over 27 million acres of Australia have burned in what has been one of the country’s worst wildfire seasons in its history.

The fires have now killed 30 people nationwide, and over 3,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed.

Several firefighters have been killed three have been identified as US firefighters, Captain Ian H. McBeth, First Officer Paul Clyde Hudson, and Flight Engineer Rick A. DeMorgan Jr, who had gone to Australia to assist in fighting the fires.

Dry lightning and arson have been identified as the leading causes of the wildfires. 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.

However, it’s climate conditions that have contributed abundant nourishment for the fires to spread and grow. Before the fires ignited, Australia was already enduring its hottest and driest year on record. Its summertime in the southern hemisphere, and as of January, Sydney experienced its highest temperature on record.

Active fires are present all across Australia, however, the states of New South Wales and Victoria have been hit the hardest, both declaring a State of Emergency in January.

Members of the Aborigine community (Australia’s indigenous people) who used fire to manage brushlands and forests across the continent, before Britain started sending convicts to the continent in the 1700s, have spoken out against the methods of controlled burning that the government has been implementing.

Aborigine’s advocate for a method called ‘cool burns’. The cool-burning, knee-high blazes were designed to happen continuously and across the landscape. The fires burn up fuel like kindling and leaf detritus, meaning a natural bushfire has less to devour. They say that this method could prevent future fires as opposed to the government’s current method of massive controlled burns called ‘back burns’.

Many countries have united to assist Australia in their fight to contain the fires. So far, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Singapore, as well as firefighting departments in Belgium and the French area of Isère, have offered support in firefighters, helicopters, and wildlife personnel.

The federal government has also sent in military assistance like army personnel, air force aircraft, and navy cruisers for firefighting, evacuation, search and rescue, and clean-up efforts.

The flames have caused dangerous amounts of smoke, released 400 megatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and have turned the skies a hazy orange according to the European Union’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service.

Earlier in December, the smoke levels were measured at 11 times exceeding the hazardous level, and as of January, breathing the air in Sydney is as harmful as smoking 19 cigarettes.

The bushfires pose a severe threat to the biodiverse ecosystems that Australia boasts. So far, an estimated 1.25 billion animals have been lost, some of which belong to the 244 mammal species that are native only to Australia.

Recent cooler conditions and rain have slowed down the fires, but more than 65 are still active in NSW and Victoria, as reported by BBC news.

Disclaimer: This story was last edited in February 2020, since then the fires have been distinguished as of March 1, 2020.