Ruqayyah Snyder
Australia's wildfires are a widespread and regular occurrence, with the country being the most fire-prone on Earth. While bushfires are often considered natural disasters, more than 90% of them are started by people, either accidentally or deliberately. The fires are fueled by dry vegetation, low soil moisture, and a lack of rain during the fire season, and are exacerbated by climate change, with Australia's climate warming by over 1°C since 1910, making wildfires more common throughout the year. The immediate cause of the 2019-2020 extreme season was parched lands resulting from a drought that began three years ago, with the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) moving into its strongest positive phase since 1997, causing reduced spring rainfall.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Human Causes | Discarded cigarettes, deliberate acts of arson, fire suppression, unrestrained logging, removal of mature trees, climate change, global warming, Indian Ocean Dipole, El Niño, disruption of Aboriginal burning practices |
| Natural Causes | Lightning |
| Impact | Loss of lives, property damage, air pollution, loss of wildlife, negative impact on local ecosystems, damage to natural habitats, health risks |
| Location | Eastern Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Sydney, Southeastern Australia |
| Time Period | 2019-2020 |
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Climate change
Australia's wildfires have burned millions of acres, contributed to dangerous air pollution, killed countless animals, and forced thousands of residents from their homes. According to the Global Fire Emissions Database, the number of active fires detected in New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, was more than four times the previous record during the 2002-03 season.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology's State of the Climate report in 2018 revealed that Australia's climate has warmed by over 1°C since 1910, lengthening the fire season and making wildfires more common throughout the year. Warmer temperatures have also led to reduced spring rainfall, resulting in parched lands that fuel wildfires.
The 2019-20 bushfires in Australia were exacerbated by the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), which moved into its strongest positive phase since 1997. The IOD is an oscillation in sea-surface temperature between the western and eastern tropical Indian Ocean. During a positive IOD, sea-surface temperatures near Australia are relatively cool, typically leading to reduced spring rainfall in southeast Australia. The combination of a positive IOD and El Niño often results in hot and dry conditions, but the 2019 extremes occurred without an El Niño event.
While climate change is a significant factor, other factors, such as lightning, discarded cigarettes, and deliberate acts of arson, also contribute to the ignition of wildfires in Australia. Additionally, fire management practices, including the disruption of traditional burning techniques and unrestrained logging, have increased the country's vulnerability to wildfires.
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Logging and land management
Before European colonisation in 1788, Indigenous Australians engaged in firestick farming, a practice that involved burning parts of the bush when the vegetation was dry. This practice had multiple benefits, including drawing out animals for hunting, encouraging the growth of different plant species, and reducing vegetation that could fuel larger bushfires.
However, with the arrival of Europeans, Aboriginal burning practices were disrupted, and fire suppression became the dominant paradigm in fire management. This shift away from traditional burning practices resulted in denser vegetation, leading to larger and more damaging fires.
A 2001 study found that unrestrained logging and the removal of mature trees by Europeans have triggered extensive shrub regeneration, creating a much greater fuel source for wildfires. As a result, Eastern Australia, with its predominant eucalyptus forests, has become one of the most fire-prone regions globally.
To address the issue of wildfires, some have recommended "hazard reduction burning" to reduce fuel availability. However, planned burns are challenging to execute safely, and fire management experts disagree on their effectiveness. As Australia continues to grapple with the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires, finding effective solutions for logging and land management practices is crucial.
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Population growth
In the past, Aboriginal people in Australia used fire-stick farming to manage the land and facilitate hunting. They would burn firebreaks during certain times of the year as a precaution against bushfires. This traditional practice, used for thousands of years, was disrupted when control was taken from the Aboriginal people and placed in the hands of Europeans, resulting in a shift towards fire suppression as the dominant paradigm in fire management.
The introduction of unrestrained logging and the removal of mature trees by Europeans since their settlement in Australia have had significant impacts on the landscape, making it more prone to extensive wildfires, especially during the dry season. The disruption of traditional burning practices and the increase in dry vegetation due to logging can create conditions that fuel wildfires.
Additionally, population growth has contributed to the concentration of people in urban areas, particularly along the eastern coast of Australia. This urbanization has brought people closer to fire-prone regions, increasing the risk of wildfires impacting major population centers. The 2019-2020 bushfire season in Australia, for example, saw fires concentrated near major population centers in southeastern Australia, affecting cities like Sydney with unhealthy levels of smoke.
Furthermore, population growth and development have led to the expansion of infrastructure and human activities into previously untouched areas, increasing the potential for human-caused ignition sources. This includes accidental fires started by discarded cigarettes or deliberate acts of arson, which have been identified as causes of some of Australia's wildfires.
While population growth is not the only factor contributing to wildfires in Australia, it plays a significant role in shaping land management practices, urbanization patterns, and the potential for human-caused ignition sources, all of which can influence the occurrence and severity of wildfires.
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Arson
The Aboriginal peoples of Australia have a long history of using fire as a form of land management. For thousands of years, they have burned parts of the bush during dry seasons to draw out animals for hunting, encourage new plant growth, and reduce vegetation that could fuel larger bushfires. This practice, known as firestick farming, was disrupted by European colonization, which resulted in denser vegetation and more fuel for fires.
In recent times, human-caused climate change has contributed to creating the extreme weather conditions that serve as a backdrop for wildfires. The 2019-2020 bushfire season, the most catastrophic in Australia's history, was influenced by the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), which caused reduced spring rainfall and hot, dry conditions.
Deliberate acts of arson during such vulnerable periods can have devastating consequences. Arsonists take advantage of the dry landscape, strong winds, and high temperatures to start fires that quickly spread and become major disasters. These fires result in significant property damage, loss of human lives, and hazardous air quality that endangers the health of residents.
To combat arson and reduce the risk of wildfires, experts have recommended hazard reduction burning to decrease the amount of fuel available for fires. However, planned burns are challenging to execute safely, and fire management experts disagree on their effectiveness.
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Cigarettes
Smoking is a leading cause of fires in many countries. Smokers who carelessly discard their cigarettes out of car windows or fail to extinguish them properly can easily start fires. In Australia, cigarettes are one of the causes of the country's devastating wildfires.
A study conducted by Jennifer Dainer, a student at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), with help from the FRNSW and CSIRO, provided solid proof that cigarettes can cause bushfires. As part of the study, called "Can cigarettes butts start (Bush)fires", Dainer conducted outdoor trials where she lit cigarettes and threw them into grass on the side of a road. In 4% of the trials, the grass caught fire and started to burn, and would have progressed quickly if the fire had not been put out.
In another set of laboratory trials, cigarette butts ignited hay in 33% of cases. Ignitions increased when the wind speed increased, fuel moisture decreased, and the degree of contact between the fuel bed and the combustion area of the cigarette increased. During a survey, 426 cigarette butts were collected in a 60-square-metre area of a median strip of a road in Western Sydney over a three-week period. The wind draught created by passing traffic was found to be sufficient to increase the potential for a cigarette butt to start a fire, even in calm conditions.
While the number of fires caused by cigarettes has decreased over the years, they are still a significant cause of wildfires. Campfires are now the most common cause of human-ignited wildfires in the US, according to the US Forest Service. However, cigarettes are still one of the most common triggers of human-caused wildfires, and smoking is estimated to cause 30% of fire deaths in the US and 10% globally.
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Frequently asked questions
The immediate causes of Australian wildfires include lightning, discarded cigarettes, and deliberate acts of arson. Once started, these fires are fuelled by dry vegetation, low soil moisture, and a lack of rain.
Human activities have contributed to Australian wildfires in several ways. The disruption of traditional burning practices and the introduction of unrestrained logging by European settlers have made many areas of Australia prone to extensive wildfires. The removal of mature trees and the resulting regeneration of shrubs have also increased fuel sources for fires. Climate change, caused by human activities, has also contributed to the extreme weather conditions that favour wildfires.
Australian wildfires have had significant negative impacts on local ecosystems, biodiversity, and air quality. They have led to the destruction of habitats and the loss of countless animal and plant species. The smoke released by wildfires contributes to hazardous air quality, causing respiratory and heart issues for residents. Wildfires have also resulted in significant property damage and the loss of human lives, with billions of dollars in estimated costs.
