Australia's fires, our floods and the climate crisis

Our daughter lives in Australia. Not excusing climate change, but they have always suffered from bush fires, nature’s way of re-generation.
Of course, the fires now are horrendous, yes, climate change, record temperatures, lack of rain.

pollution is made made, climate change is sun driven and there has always been climate change

Australia has given permission for a massive coal mine, called carmichael and that is the first of many. It will be the size of the uk and most of its coal will be exported to india. Pollution to line more pockets. All those nasty fumes go into the very air that we all breathe and where will the waste go? This pollution is hidden by the companies, they hide under fear-driven terminology ie climate change. When in reality it is pollution that is killing the planet and the fragile ecosystems

I know Calendargirl there have always been fires. I remember reading an old newspaper from about 1800. An early settler was writing home to the Scottish newspaper and he spoke of the wild fires and also the "Natives" deliberately encouraging fires.

It has reached a new level now as the cities expand away from the sea.
Here we continue to build on floodplains and to lay concrete everywhere, including our gardens, so that water can no longer soak away.

Thanks craftyone I didn't know that about the giant mine planned. Oh dear. It is even worse than I thought.

If we are serious about climate change then we have to make changes that we won’t like.

If we really want to then we can stop buying stuff that we don’t
need. Then China and India will stop producing the rubbish that fills the shops. We will pay a proper price for the reduced products that they make. They will have a better life and we will all have a healthier one.

Coal is one of Australia's biggest sources of export income and mining employs thousands of people. A serious commitment to and investment in renewables would provide more jobs, but would affect exports.

The Chinese government is well aware that it needs to change. It has begun to take steps to use cleaner fuels and reduce pollution. It's also suffering from a labour shortage in some areas (as a result of the one child policy), so employers are being forced to pay higher wages. That means they have to charge more and, as a result, are having to think about improving quality. There's already a shift towards more high-value and "cleaner" products, such as technology, education and services. There's likely to be some resistance because low-skilled, less educated workers are going to end up being "left behind". That's one of the reasons that China invests heavily in education.

Yes PamelaJ1

Watched a carols programme early last evening, home videos interspersed the songs, showing happy children ripping the wrapping paper off numerous gifts under the tree from Santa and family. Probably sound a real killjoy, but my thoughts were all about the rubbish being generated to be chucked away at a later date. Things like this never occurred to me when my own children were growing up. When I look at the stuff that the GC’s have discarded as they get older....what a waste of money and resources.

Australia is building huge wind farms - whether or not these are eco-friendly because each turbine costs more in fuel to produce than it ever generates is a moot point.

Many people do have solar panels on their roofs, but yes, they could make more use of the solar power.

Temperatures in the 1800s were hotter and lasted for longer periods than the present one.
Aboriginals have always known how to manage the fires and the Government should take more note of their advice which can, in fact, be contrary to what the Green Party advocates. The Aboriginal communities have far more experience of this.

I agree that we do not learn, the shops are full of 'plastic tat' and unrecyclable rubbish.

Interesting. Thanks Callistemon. What was the population of Australia in the 1800s? I'm guessing quite a lot lower than today. If bushfires are inevitable and essential for some vegetation, is the big problem that human life is encroaching on areas which should be left for nature to take its course?

One of the greatest causes of pollution is travel. Cars and planes are the biggest source. We have got so used to using our cars for every trip, and taking holidays abroad. Are we willing to give it up?

I think it's only a matter of time before we are all driving around in electric carts, similar to golf carts. There would surely be fewer accidents too, as speed would be reduced.

It's perfectly possible to reduce pollution, it's just a matter of putting our minds to it and tackling the problem seriously.

Yes, it was considerably lower and yes, the cities have encroached on bush land.

People were dying in the streets apparently - but the men were wearing suits and the women long dresses and presumably corsets.
Scientists say that today's heatwaves are more extreme.

www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-21/1896-heatwave-killed-435-climate-scientists-cant-compare-today/11809998

I feel I'm an extra in the early minutes of a disaster movie. The extent of flooding here this year and the fires in Australia rally should be sharpening everyone's attention bringing a desire to do something NOW. it might mean us all giving up our cars immediately and certain types of industry ceasing, we might all be out of work and hungry as a result, but at least we might just save the planet. In the meantime I get smug little messages on Facebook about recycling glitter Christmas cards as if this is going to make much difference to the apocalypse that is unfolding before our eyes.

Many of our man made catastrophes happen because we ignore history, at our peril.

I'm thinking now about the loss of life when the Tsunami hit Indonesia on Boxing Day 2004.
My DM was born in Asia and experienced hearing of tidal waves . There wasn't much reporting back then when a fishing village or two disappeared, and no Tourist Industry, which is responsible for the seaside resorts.

My DM never went near the sea or the bright sun. You kept in the shade and left for the hills in the dry hot season. You had respect for the power of the elements.

I know people who were there when the tsunami hit - they were up in the hills and said that the animals were distressed - a sure sign to those who really listen to nature, remember history, that something was about to happen.

People only want to make small comfirtable changes

Eg they dont want to be a bit uncomfortable/inconvenienced now to reduce major discomfort later:

E.g.
People still want to go on cruises but it's okay because they recycle

People want to buy as much stuff but its okay because its "green" new stuff (if you dont need any straws because youre perfectly capable of drinking from cups/glasses, then those metal straws are just more stuff

People where I live still insist they need their cars. We live in an arra well served with both busses and trains. They cite occassional rail cancellations as a reason, yet they are late because of road accidents and other traffic hold ups more frequently than the public transport using staff. They just dont want to! But its okay, because they bought a reusable coffee cup.

People dont see the irony of the amount of new "green" products they are being sold. Buying new stuff is not the point! You dont need ANY portable coffee cups that just encourage you to keep using fast food coffee chains on the go, just WAIT until you get where youre going then have a drink out of a mug or glass!

PernillaVanilla it would be amazing if a drastic turn around could happen but even talking to people, my age, they aren't ready to give up the things they've got used to.
The crazy Christmas rush yesterday was a reminder of that.
I felt slightly better this morning as I spent money on locally grown fruit, veg and flowers (I have bought hyacinth bulbs to cheer in the season) I noticed that some of the charity shops are busy so some people are waking up.

Where I live I just do not understand why people are still buying houses on or near known flood planes, which have been rapidly expanding in recent years.

I dont get it! 20 years ago when DH and I bought our first joint property we refused to view anywhere in those areas. We always checked the flood maps and only viewed houses well away.

Flood plains are natural and good. They team with life, they absorb carbon from the atmosphere. But people think they should be drained and controlled and then the rivers have nowhere to go on full moons after rains!

The increased flooding where I live is less to do with climate change and more to do with ignorance and stupidity:
If you "re-enforce" the river at points A and B in its natural bulge zones so that you can have nice river view town houses, then the flooding at point C will HAVE to triple because its now the only point along the way where the river can bulge when it needs to!

I don't know why they give planning permission for homes on flood plains notanan!

I am absolutely completely baffled by my neighbour who just sold their house in our non flooding area and has bought right in the flood plain. Which is currently flooded.

I really do not get it. They say they did it because they can add value to the house, Vs their old "done" house, but surely in 10yrs it'll be un sellable and unmortgagable?

And that brings me to another point, why are mortgage companies still lending for these areas?

Its so arrogant. "We can fight nature back, we can control rivers they dont control us". Then shock every year when nature bites back!

I might be a bit mean here but I have limited sympathy for the "plight" of people who chose to live on top of what should be nature's natural overflow area.

People are so detatched from nature. They dont get that rivers are SUPPOSED to wax and wane. Not stay at one fixed level.

Living near the river is very posh and aspiration and you actually pay MORE to move INTO the flood zone! It's CRAZY!

Fields with hedges and trees grubbed out, huge arable dust bowls now. No deep roots for rainwater to percolate downwards and so there is sudden runoff and flash floods. Farmers are paid to do this, farmer in my ex village got paid over £40k to sit in his tractor with sprayers outstretched behind him.

The green party was the worst offender for this but all parties at the past election were focusing SOLELY on trees. Trees are great in naturally wooded areas But we need heaths and marshes too. Marshland absorbes TONNES of carbon, yet if some environmental policies had got in, marshes would have been drained (RELEASING Carbon) to meet RIDICULOUS tree planting targets.

People just dont understand nature.

Our local council has refused permission for 500 + houses to be built on a flood plain theee times. Unfortunately it has been sent to central Government as the area has to build X amount of new properties, our MP is with the locals on this.

If the Thames is running high or the tides coincide with high winds or even just heavy rainfall this land regularly floods, it is under water at the moment.

There is a small industrial brown field site about a mile and a half up the hill which is more suitable, we are all worried about this situation.

notanan2 totally agree with your post.