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more than 90 wildfires blaze in australian state
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_AUSTRALIA_WILDFIRES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-01-19-05-10-41CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- More than 90 wildfires were burning over Australia's New South Wales state on Sunday, but the danger has ebbed in neighboring Victoria and South Australia states.
Many of the 93 fires burning across New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, were sparked by overnight lightning strikes, state Country Fire Service spokesman Matt Sun said. At least three houses had been destroyed near the village of Minimbah, west of Sydney, he said.
He said 900 firefighters continued to battle blazes late Sunday.
Heat wave conditions across southeast Australia last week intensified wildfires that destroyed at least 25 houses in Victoria and South Australia over several days.
1 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
The blackouts during Australia's heatwave didn't happen by accident
Australia broke yet another heatwave record this week while thousands of people suffered from electricity blackouts
:large
While the sunburned country is used to hot weather, our infrastructure was not built to cope with several days of above 40°C temperatures. Now Victoria has now seen 4 consecutive days above 41°C, breaking records that have existed since 1855.
In 2009, the heatwave preceded Black Saturday, one of the most devastating bush fires in recent times. The human cost of the 2009 heatwave was more than 374 deaths, in addition to the 173 people who died in the fires.
<snip>
Climate change is causing heatwaves in Australia to become more frequent, last longer and to be hotter, according to a Climate Council report:
:large
<big snip>
When people have their power supplies cut and their health is impacted, when infrastructure cannot cope and people are left stranded, and when companies and governments continue to pump billions of tonnes of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, it is because of someone's decision....
Australia broke yet another heatwave record this week while thousands of people suffered from electricity blackouts
:large
While the sunburned country is used to hot weather, our infrastructure was not built to cope with several days of above 40°C temperatures. Now Victoria has now seen 4 consecutive days above 41°C, breaking records that have existed since 1855.
In 2009, the heatwave preceded Black Saturday, one of the most devastating bush fires in recent times. The human cost of the 2009 heatwave was more than 374 deaths, in addition to the 173 people who died in the fires.
<snip>
Climate change is causing heatwaves in Australia to become more frequent, last longer and to be hotter, according to a Climate Council report:
"As greenhouse gases continue to accumulate in the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels, more heat is trapped in the lower atmosphere," the report states. "This increases the likelihood that hot weather will occur and that heatwaves will become longer and more intense.
:large
<big snip>
When people have their power supplies cut and their health is impacted, when infrastructure cannot cope and people are left stranded, and when companies and governments continue to pump billions of tonnes of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, it is because of someone's decision....
Lot's more with a wonderful close here: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/southern-crossroads/2014/jan/17/heat-wave-australia-record-breaking-climate-change-bushfires-melbourne