Case study: 2019/ 2020 Australian Wildfires Flashcards
1
Q
Causes
A
- Prolonged drought since 2017 resulted in exceptionally dry vegetation
- Changes in prevailing winds caused flames to be fanned, making them difficult to put out.
- El Nino phenomenon
- There were 91,000 lightning strikes in the Darwin area on Christmas day in 2019. Dry lightning strikes were predicted as early as september 2019
2
Q
Economic effects
A
- Estimated total cost of $70 billion
- Smoke caused a slow in production of coal, which accounts for 10% of Australian GDP
- Loss of tourism had an estimated cost of $2.8 billion, with an estimated 7300 jobs lost
3
Q
Social effects
A
- Death toll of over 30.
- 2000 homes lost
- Public health affected due to extremely bad air quality
- Air quality in New Zealand and South America also affected
- Major impact on farmer’s livelihood. 13% of the countries sheep were in affected areas.
4
Q
Environmental impacts
A
- Loss of biodiversity, with an estimated 1 billion animals killed, and 12 species put at risk of extinction.
- Water supplies heavily polluted.
- Wildfires released 250 million tonnes of CO2
- 12.6 hectares of woodland and forest burnt.
5
Q
Political impacts
A
- Government faced criticism after they refused to acknowledge climate change as a threat.
- In 2019, Australia introduced a scheme that pays companies if they reduce GHG emissions.
6
Q
Short term responses
A
- Thousands of volunteers helped to fight the fires, including fire fighters from the US, Canada, and New Zealand.
- Australian Police, military and navy involved in rescue and evacuation
- The WWF provided emergency food drops to NSW national parks to assist threatened species
- The red cross provided emergency grants to people to buy essentials
- 49,000 people were supported by over 2500 red cross personal.
7
Q
Long term responses
A
- The Australian government established the National Bushfire Recovery Agency to rebuild communities and livelihoods, with an initial $2 billion recovery fund
- Bushfire preparedness is taking place for future events, including controlled burning, vegetation clearing and maintaining defensible space.
- Affected infrastructure being rebuilt with more advanced technologies.
8
Q
Challenges when dealing with the wildfire
A
- The fire had a massive scale, of over 24 million hectares
- The fire started as many, smaller spot fires which then joined to make a larger wildfire.
- 17 uncontrolled fires burning at once in NSW
- Fire spread very fast due to dry vegetation
- Went on for months so even emergency responders were not safe, unlike with other hazards that happen and then stop
9
Q
Background
A
- 24 million hectares affected
- Burnt for 6 months
- Started in December 2019
10
Q
How long had Australia been experiencing drought for?
A
2 years, since 2017
11
Q
How did wind make the fires worse?
A
Prevailing winds moved north into Australia, which fanned flames and spread embers
12
Q
How many lightning strikes were there in the Darwin area on Christmas day 2019?
A
91,000
13
Q
Total estimated cost
A
$70 billion
14
Q
What effect did the smoke have on coal production?
A
Caused a slow in production
15
Q
What % of GDP does coal production account for in Australia?
A
10%
