Australia’s bushfires may be attributed to climate change

SYDNEY: Australian bushfires, which have been blazing the continent- country since the September last year, has enkindled a crisis of global proportions. The country’s rich flora and fauna has been devastated by the fires, nearly resulting in the deaths of half a billion animals in a single state alone. Experts estimate that Australia would take decades to recover from the loses.

At least 20 people have died due to the fire and over 1500 houses have been incinerated till now. 28 people are also confirmed missing till now. With no seeming end to the fires in sight, the authorities are calling for people to immediately evacuate.

The causation of the fires has not been clearly identified till now. Sources have reported that the eminent threat of the bushfires was well known to the Australian firefighting chiefs, who have been trying to brief Scott Morrison, Australian Prime Minister since then.

Although the reasoning is not clear till now, many have speculated that the bushfires, which are a common phenomenon down under, were catalyzed by the growing climate change. Australia has observed 8 of its 10 hottest years in the past 15 years and a study conducted in 2018 by Melbourne University has highlighted that the frequently occurring major droughts of the early 21^st century in southern Australia are “likely without precedent over the past 400 years”.