The fires that currently burn through every last one of Australia’s states have devastated the lives of not just humans, but the endangered species that roam around the continent as well. What recently blew up across social media has been tearing at Australia since mid-November of 2019. This phenomenon is known as a bushfire.
Bushfires in Australia are nothing new. These past couple of months, however, the flames have gotten out of hand. This can be linkedto global warming and the way our climate is rapidly changing. Australia experiences hot summers, but they experienced temperatures like never before during December of 2019. The city of Adelaide reached 113.54 degrees Fahrenheit. Nullarbor hit 121.82 degrees Fahrenheit.
The situation has caused a fit of outrage to spread among the suffering citizens. At least twenty-five people have been killed in the fires, thousands of homes have faced brutal damage, and around 15 million acres of land have burned. The people give some of the blame to Australia’s climate change policies and their prime minister, Scott Morrison. Morrison spent his holiday overseas, leaving those looking for help behind.
However, the people are not exclusively at risk. Traveling bushfires have produced unfortunately high statistics regarding recent animal deaths in the continent. Around 25,000 koalas are estimated to be left dead on an island under flames. This is only a small portion of the one billion animals thought to have perished due to current circumstances.
Australia’s land holds around 600,000 to 700,000 species, a lot of these being unique and nonexistent in any other areas of the planet. For the ones who do survive the bushfires, they still face potential danger as many habitats are being affected, and severely. The Kangaroo Island glossy black cockatoo strictly relies on sheoak tree seeds for food. These trees are currently in flames.
In response to the current trauma being experienced, many celebrity figures have donated and spoken out about Australia. Chris Hemsworth, P!nk, Elton John, and Rebel Wilson are only a couple of the many who have stepped forward to lend some help with generous donations. The best way for individuals to help from afar is by donating, as every dollar counts. One can also spread awareness so more people know what is happening.
It has been said that the bushfires can potentially last a couple more months. As of recently, heavy rains have made their way over to the burning continent, but are not expected to completely solve the bushfire crisis. Staying united as a planet is going to be extremely important, especially as global warming continues to make itself more and more apparent.