A firefighter watches the progress of bushfires in New South Wales, Australia. Picture: AAP IMAGE/SHANE CHALKER/VIA REUTERS
According to Pep Canadell, chief research scientist at the CSIRO’s Climate Science Centre, that’s bad news for firefighters as the years after a La Nina are the riskiest for bushfires. He’s co-author of a research paper published in the journal Nature Communication, which analysed Australian fire seasons since 1930 and found that climate change has played an overwhelming role in creating fire weather and driving increases in burnt area.
At least 3,000 homes were destroyed and almost 3-billion koalas, kangaroos, reptiles and other animals were killed or displaced. Smoke haze affected major cities such as Sydney and Canberra for weeks and caused air pollution as far away as South America.
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