Australia Fires Spark Calls For Climate Action
Date: 13-Feb-09
Country: AUSTRALIA
Author: Michael Perry
Australia Fires Spark Calls For Climate Action Photo: Mick Tsikas
The remains of cars destroyed by bushfires are seen in the
town of Flowerdale, 80km (50 miles) north of Melbourne February 11, 2008.
Photo: Mick Tsikas
YEA - Firefighters called on the Australian government on Thursday to take a
tougher stance against climate change in an effort to avoid more deadly
bushfires like those that killed 181 people this week.
"Without a massive turnaround in policies, aside from the tragic loss of
life and property, we will be asking firefighters to put themselves at an
unacceptable risk," United Firefighters Union of Australia said in an open
letter.
"We understand that our job is dangerous by its very nature. However, we are
gravely concerned that current ... policies seem destined to ensure a repeat
of the recent tragic events," said the union in an open letter to Prime
Minister Kevin Rudd.
The call came as police detained two people on Thursday suspected of
deliberately lighting one of the bushfires that savagely swept through
southeast Australia on Saturday.
Authorities say the toll is expected to rise beyond 200 as more bodies are
discovered in the charred remains of houses in the southern state of
Victoria.
One razed town, Marysville, sealed off to the public due to the horrific
scenes there, may contain 50 to 100 more dead, authorities say. That would
bring the toll to around 300.
Prime minister Rudd has described the bushfires as "mass murder." In
Victoria, arson carries a jail term of two to 15 years, and 25 years if
there's loss of life.
The fires are the worst natural disaster in Australia in 110 years. The
previous worst fires killed 75 people in 1983.
WAKE-UP CALL
The firefighters union has now joined Green politicians and environmental
activists in arguing that the deadly infernos are a climate change wake-up
call to Australia.
Australia is one of the most vulnerable nations to climate change because of
its hot, dry environment, but with its dependence on coal-fired power, Rudd
has set a target to cut overall greenhouse gas emissions by only 5 percent
by 2020.
In their letter to Rudd, the firefighters cited Australian scientists
forecasting a "low global warming scenario" would see catastrophic fire
events in Victoria every five to seven years by 2020, and by 2050, a
doubling of extreme danger fire days.
"Given the federal government's dismal greenhouse gas emissions cut of 5
percent, the science suggests we are well on the way to guaranteeing that
somewhere in the country there will be an almost annual repeat of the recent
disaster," they said.
Australia has launched its biggest arson investigation, "Operation Phoenix,"
into the nation's deadliest wildfires, believing at least one or more may
have been deliberately lit.
Fanned by strong winds and heatwave temperatures, several bushfires tore
through rural towns north of Melbourne on Saturday night. Melbourne's
temperature on Saturday hit 46.4 degrees Celsius (115.5 degrees Fahrenheit),
a record for the city.
The disaster area, more than twice the size of London and encompassing more
than 20 towns, has been declared a crime zone. The fires have burned 1,033
homes and left 5,000 homeless.
Standard & Poors says the damage could exceed $2 billion.
More than 4,000 firefighters are still battling some 21 fires in Victoria
state, with several out of control.
On Thursday, survivors returned to burned-out towns and hamlets to rebuild
their lives. Those with houses still standing offered shelter and support
for those who lost their homes.
But many were left to live in tents and caravans, having escaped the
infernos with just the clothes on their backs.
"We have our health and we don't have to bury anyone, that's the main
thing," said Chris King as she surveyed the rubble and twisted metal that
once was her home.
(Editing by Bill Tarrant)
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