Volunteer firefighting crews have attempted to crowdfund equipment and supplies.
AAP Image/Supplied, DFES Incident Photographer Lewis van Bommel
Farmers seeking relief from the drought and firefighters stretched to their limits have turned to crowdfunding for help. But public appeal shouldn’t replace good governance.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Deep Saini and Michelle Grattan on the big issues which have shaped political discourse.
Bushfires aren’t the only catastrophic emergency Australia is likely to see.
AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
We don’t need to send in the army every time there’s a natural disaster, or create a national fire fighting force. We need to think practically about working together in emergencies.
Morrison has refused to meet calls for a national summit or a COAG meeting on the fire effort.
Dan Himbrechts/AAP
The fires are putting pressure on the government by elevating the climate issue and opening new division among Liberals.
People in Sydney have this week been donning face masks. But they’re unlikely to prevent smoke inhalation.
Steven Saphore/AAP
With smoke haze this week at its most hazardous level yet, people on Australia’s east coast have been taking precautions to protect their health. But some methods are more effective than others.
Smoke is blanketing Australia’s most populated city, making it impossibly to ignore the reality of climate change.
Joel Carrett/AAP
Fuming, burnt out, drained. Can our smoky cities spark a change in the political atmosphere?
Over the coming months, koalas will depend on wildlife hospitals to recover from the effects of unprecedented bushfires.
Lachlan G. Howell
Unprecedented fires are devastating koalas along Australia’s east coast. These sudden drops in population put the survivors at risk of inbreeding.
This week’s climate conference in Madrid is key to getting global cooperation on climate change, the impacts of which are already being felt.
Dean Lewins/AAP
Recent bushfires and extreme weather are just a small taste of what is to come if this week’s climate negotiations in Madrid fail to deliver.
Brushtail in pouch.
WIRES
Thousands of people in Australia and around the world have rallied to knit and crochet comfort items for wildlife. Their efforts are the latest in a long history of crafting for a cause.
The vast majority of bushfire fighters in Australia are volunteers. And their job is only getting harder.
Dean Lewins/AAP
Volunteer numbers are shrinking in rural areas, leaving fewer people to battle bushfires. We need to change our thinking about volunteering to recruit more firefighters and keep the ones we have.
In an emergency, like a bushfire, making sure you have enough of your regular medication can mean the difference between life and death. But there are many ways to prepare.
from www.shutterstock.com
During bushfire season, managing medication as well as respiratory conditions should be part of any emergency plan.
If you’ve ever put wet wood on to a fire, you may have noticed it makes a lot more noise than dry wood.
Shutterstock
Water and sap inside the wood make mini explosions as they turn into gas and burst out. That’s why damp wood makes the noisiest fires.
Maree Clarke’s Men in Mourning (2011).
Vivien Anderson Gallery
Bringing together innovative and traditional works, the Linear exhibition gives us a new map for sharing land and knowledge.
Dale Palmer prepares his home in NSW for the bushfires. The decision to stay and defend one’s property requires a person to be mentally, as well as physically, prepared.
AAP/Darren Pateman
In catastrophic fire conditions, leaving early is the only safe option. But in other conditions, one thing that’s often overlooked in decisions to stay or go is how mentally tough you need to be.
Last year fire storms raged across California. Similar conditions could become more likely for Australia.
Giovanni is interested in how meteorological processes operate at multiple spatial and temporal scales to control air pollution events, and how this influence is mediated by topographic variation and characteristics of the urban environment. His current r
Extreme fire risk will overlap with weather patterns to create fire tornadoes more often under climate change.
Emergency services haven’t been able to protect people and properties against increasingly intense bushfires.
Scott Davis/AAP
Land-use planning should give more weight to the increasing risks of natural hazards like bushfires as the first step in reducing the impacts.
It’s difficult to recall what you might need as you’re preparing to evacuate, so have your kit ready to go.
New Africa/Shutterstock
Babies are particularly vulnerable in emergencies, especially in hot weather. Here’s what your emergency kit needs to ensure they stay hydrated if you have to evacuate or you lose power or water.
Modern fire managers can learn much from Aboriginal fire practice.
Matthew Newton/RUMMIN Productions
Indigenous people used small fires skilfully to prevent larger bushfires. In this time of crisis, we must learn from them.
An estimated 85% of bushfires are lit by humans.
DAN HIMBRECHTS/AAP
Australia devotes countless resources to fighting bushfires, but precious little to examining the main cause - humans.
Women and children are 14 times more likely than men to die in a disaster.
AAP Image/Darren Pateman
Natural disasters amplify the conditions leading to domestic violence. Yet Australia’s disaster policies are “gender blind”.