case study - Australia 2019-2020 wildfires

Question 1

how much land was burnt?

Answer 1

Up to 19 million hectares were burnt

Question 2

primary social impacts

Answer 2

• 33 lives lost
• around 3,094 homes destroyed.

Question 3

Criticisms

Answer 3

• Prime Minister criticised for his alleged failure to anticipate crisis.
• Prime Minister not present during national crisis: he was on holiday in Hawaii

Question 4

Responses

Answer 4

• 3,000 military reservists and 3,700 firefighters USA, Canada and New Zealand.
• Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, committed $14 million to leasing firefighters from abroad.
• Bulldozers creating firebreaks and clearing debris.

Question 5

Causes of the fires

Answer 5

-Lightning strikes in East Victoria
- 24 people charged with starting bushfires in New South Wales

Question 6

Intensifiers

Answer 6

• Australia was experiencing a heatwave
• Australia’s average temperature is increasing
• Brisk winds helped to spread fires

Question 7

social effects

Answer 7

• 33 lives lost
• Over 2,000 homes destroyed
• Breathing air in Sydney reached the equivalent of smoking 19 cigarettes at once
• food shortages

Question 7

environmental effects

Answer 7

• 400 megatons of carbon dioxide released
• Over 1 billion animals perished

Question 8

economic effects

Answer 8

• $4.4 billion economic cost
• 200, 000 + in recovery payments
• 27, 000 + grants to small businesses