Australian Bushfires to become more frequent and intense: study
Pastor Dale Morgan
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Australian Bushfires to become more frequent and intense: study*
By Tim Dornin
September 26, 2007 02:29pm
Article from: AAP
THE bushfire season in south and eastern Australia will become longer
and more extreme because of climate change, a new report says.
It says a new rating system may also be needed to describe the fire risk
at the highest level, with days of "catastrophic" danger expected more
often.
Released by the Climate Institute today, the report was prepared by the
Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre, the Bureau of Meteorology and the
CSIRO.
It said the overall intensity of fire seasons would increase by 30 per
cent by 2050, given high levels of global warming.
The number of days of extreme fire danger experienced each year in south
and eastern Australia could increase by 65 per cent by 2020, and by 300
per cent by 2050.
The Climate Institute said the report was the most comprehensive and
up-to-date report undertaken in Australia on fire weather risk.
"Unless rising greenhouse pollution levels are reversed, Australian and
world leaders build on the Kyoto framework and make the switch to clean
energy, the fire weather in Australia is set to spiral dangerously
upwards," institute chief executive John Connor said in Adelaide.
"Climate policies that aim to limit global warming to around two degrees
celsius above pre-industrial levels can help avoid the worst impacts of
fire weather in Australia."
The report said the Forest Danger Rating used by fire services currently
listed "extreme" as the highest possible level of fire weather risk.
But it said two more unofficial fire danger levels - "very extreme" and
"catastrophic" - like that experienced during the tragic 2003 Canberra
fires, becoming more common.
With high global warming, very extreme days might occur twice as often
in Australia by 2020, with a four or five-fold increase predicted across
much of southern and eastern Australia by 2050.
Catastrophic risk levels, currently very rare, might occur across nearly
all parts of south-east Australia by 2050.
"More frequent, intense and longer fire seasons suggests more resources
will be needed to upport fire fighting agencies," Mr Connor said.
"Climate change does not respect state borders, and this highlights a
strong need for a national emergency services response to lower levels
of climate change."
Mr Connor said no political party had a plan for Australia's future
unless it had clear strategies to reverse greenhouse pollution.
"With urgent action our children will not have to face potentially the
worst bushfire weather seasons ever seen," he said.
"Recent bushfires in Australia have forced tens of thousands of
firefighters into the field to protect the homes and lives of
Australians, and caused over a billion dollars in damage.
"This is not a future legacy that we should be leaving our children by
failing to get climate change under control."