Secular Café: Australian fires

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Australian fires Jan 10th 2013, 16:26 Every summer, Australia suffers from terrible fires. See the video in this report http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20963810 Despite a couple of cooler days, more trouble is expected. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013...0c-fire-threat Quote: Australia is bracing for more potentially dangerous fires, with temperatures on Friday predicted to soar close to 50C in the centre of the country and up to 46C in parts of New South Wales. The return of the scorching heat follows two days of relative cool, during which fire crews tackled more than 100 blazes still burning in New South Wales and Victoria, and built containment lines for more outbreaks. "We are entering a very challenging fire weather period over the next three days," said Brydie O'Connor, of the New South Wales rural fire service. "We'll have 40 degree-plus days in many parts, with a number of fires from Tuesday still burning. Add that to some very strong northwesterly winds and we've got a very bad situation."... ...According to the Australian climate commission the number of record hot days has more than doubled in the past 50 years. It projects that the number of 35C-plus days in Sydney each year will increase more than fourfold by the end of the century. , and in Darwin from nine to more than 300 a year. In a recent report the commission said future heatwaves were likely to be hotter and longer lasting, causing an increased risk of health-related issues. It cited a study in Melbourne conducted between 1999 and 2004, which found that hospital admissions for heart attacks increased by almost 40% during heatwaves in which the three-day average temperature exceeded 27C. Despite warnings about the potential impact of climate change, large sections of Australian society remain sceptical about the science behind it, including the main conservative opposition party, whose leader, Tony Abbott, once described climate science as "absolute crap". He opposed the introduction of a carbon tax last year by the Labour government, saying it would smash like a "wrecking ball" through the economy, and promised to overturn it if elected later this year. On Wednesday Abbott's deputy, Warren Truss, said it was too simplistic to blame climate change for the current heatwave and fires... ...Australians generate more carbon pollution per head than any other developed country, largely because of a heavy reliance on coal-fired power stations to produce electricity (the country is also the world's second largest exporter of coal). With a population of 22 million, Australia is responsible for 1.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Britain, by comparison, with nearly three times the population, is responsible for 1.7%.

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