Cedars, February 2020

February 2020 12 OFF-CAMPUS The Upheaval Down Under by Brianna Coffey T earing across an entire continent, the Australian wildfire is undoubtedly the worst seen in decades, leaving mass amounts of loss, death and destruction in its wake. The fires have left bushland, cities, wooded ar - eas, suburbs and national parks reeling under the devastat - ing flames. In an article written earlier this month, ABC News stated that since September, the fires have decimated over 3,000 homes and destroyed more than 26 million acres. The major cities of New South Wales, Melbourne and Syd - ney have suffered for months under the weight of devasta - tion. According to CNN, the air quality this past December surpassed the hazardous level by 11 times due to the billow - ing fumes. The first cause of this catastrophe is that the hot, dry weather of this past year has resulted in high temperatures, as Australia is in the midst of one of its worst droughts in decades. The Bureau of Meteorology reported that this past spring was the driest in Australia’s recorded history. Some areas experienced temperatures above 120 degrees Fahren - heit, breaking the record for the highest nationwide average temperature. The New York Times reported that “climate change is bringing longer andmore frequent periods of extreme heat,” which “makes vegetation drier and more likely to burn.” Dr. Mark Gathany, associate professor of biology at Ce - darville University, explains that a large issue in the spread - ing of the fires is “spotting,” in which a small part of the flame could ignite on something nearby, such as another home. While much is being attempted to prevent further damage, he admits that these situations “are cases where doing the best management of your property may not mat - ter in the end.” Human activity is another factor that contributed to the fires. According to a recent New South Wales police statement, the department has charged over 20 individuals with deliberately starting bushfires, and nearly 200 have re - ceived indictments for “fire-related offenses.” Dr. Robert Paris, associate professor of biology at Ce - darville, drew attention to the fact that while some caus- es that sparked the catastrophe have been traced back to human activity, thousands of firefighters have risked their lives for this cause. “Yes, there are some humans who are causing prob - lems, but there are many others who are helping remedy the problem,” Paris said. These individuals are risking their lives to rescue those of others at great personal cost. According to CNN, about 2,700 firefighters from different countries are on the front lines battling the flames. In an interview with CNN, one fireman, Daniel Carde - nas, expressed his desire to serve, stating that “just seeing the amount of destruction that’s happening and knowing that they need help makes you want to volunteer.” In the midst of this crisis, many within Australia and around the world are rising up to offer their time, money, possessions, and service to the multitude of those in need. According to the New York Times, many organizations are making an impact through their work on the victim’s be - halves. One of these organizations, the Australian Red Cross, has currently enlisted well over a thousand staff members and volunteer workers. They are housing survivors in over 60 evacuation and recovery centers. Due to the complica - tions that come with storing and delivering physical dona - tions, Salvation Army Australia encourages donors to send financial donations instead, which gives the recipients liber - ty to invest their money where they know it is most needed. Another organization called GIVIT: Goods for Good Causes matches donations with specific item requests, such as gas pumps, car batteries and fence posts. Similar work is being done for the animals whose homes, food sources, and species have been devastated by the fires. As recorded in the Washington Post, over 1 billion mammals, birds and reptiles, many of which are found no - where else on our planet, have been impacted or killed by Photo by Japan Meteorological Agency Australian bushfire as seen by Himawari eight satellite