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Articles on Bushfires

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Volunteer firefighting crews have attempted to crowdfund equipment and supplies. AAP Image/Supplied, DFES Incident Photographer Lewis van Bommel

Crowdfunding: when the government fails to act, the public wearily steps up

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.
Over the coming months, koalas will depend on wildlife hospitals to recover from the effects of unprecedented bushfires. Lachlan G. Howell

To save koalas from fire, we need to start putting their genetic material on ice

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

Earth has a couple more chances to avoid catastrophic climate change. This week is one of them

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.
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

Curious Kids: why does wood crackle in a fire?

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.
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

It’s hard to breathe and you can’t think clearly – if you defend your home against a bushfire, be mentally prepared

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

Climate change will make fire storms more likely in southeastern Australia

Extreme fire risk will overlap with weather patterns to create fire tornadoes more often under climate change.
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

Evacuating with a baby? Here’s what to put in your emergency kit

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.
Women and children are 14 times more likely than men to die in a disaster. AAP Image/Darren Pateman

Domestic violence will spike in the bushfire aftermath, and governments can no longer ignore it

Natural disasters amplify the conditions leading to domestic violence. Yet Australia’s disaster policies are “gender blind”.

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