Case study: 2019/ 2020 Australian Wildfires Flashcards
Causes
- 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
Economic effects
- 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
Social effects
- 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.
Environmental impacts
- 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.
Political impacts
- 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.
Short term responses
- 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.
Long term responses
- 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.
Challenges when dealing with the wildfire
- 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
Background
- 24 million hectares affected
- Burnt for 6 months
- Started in December 2019
How long had Australia been experiencing drought for?
2 years, since 2017
How did wind make the fires worse?
Prevailing winds moved north into Australia, which fanned flames and spread embers
How many lightning strikes were there in the Darwin area on Christmas day 2019?
91,000
Total estimated cost
$70 billion
What effect did the smoke have on coal production?
Caused a slow in production
What % of GDP does coal production account for in Australia?
10%
How many jobs in tourism were lost?
7300
Death toll
Over 30
How many homes lost?
2000
Which other areas were also affected by bad air quality?
New Zealand and South America
What % of Australia’s sheep were in affected areas?
13%
How many animals killed
An estimated 1 billion
How many tonnes of CO2 released?
250 million
How many hectares of forest burnt?
12.6 million
Why did the government face criticism?
They refused to acknowledge climate change as a threat
What did the WWF provide to help threatened species?
Food drops to NSW national parks
How many people were supported by how many red cross personal?
49,000 people supported by 2500 red cross personal
How many volunteers helped fight the fires?
1000s including ones from the US, Canada and New Zealand
What was the name of the organisation that the Australian government founded to help with wildfire recovery
The National Bushfire Recovery Agency
What was the National Bushfire Recovery Agency’s initial recovery fund?
$2 billion
How is space being prepared for future fires?
Controlled burning, vegetation cleaning and maintaining defensible space
How many hectares did the fire affect?
24 million
How many fires were burning at once in NSW
17 uncontrolled fires at once
Why did the fire spread so fast?
Dry vegetation and prevailing winds
When did it start?
December 2019
How long did it last for?
6 months
