John Englart

Climate driven overlapping wildfire seasons pose resource and personnel issues for Bushfire seasons

It is not in the local news, but Canada’s wildfire emergency continues, while Extreme wildfire weather is ramping up across our top end of the Northern Territory , Western Australia, and Queensland.

Wildfire seasons between the northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere are now overlapping.

That has a big impact on sharing personnel and resources between northern and southern hemisphere fire seasons.

Think of the firefighters we have at present helping in Canada, the water tanker planes being used in Canada under contracts that will be unavailable for early season wildfires here in Australia.

These catastrophic wildfires are being driven by global warmining caused by fossil fuel carbon emissions. Yet we continue to open new fossil fuel projects, in Canada and in Australia.

Here in Australia at least 10 new or extended fossil fuel projects have been approved since the Albanese Labor Government came to power in May 2022.

Early detection of new bushfires via satellites was promised, but the satellite technology is complex with still a lot more work to do according to the ABC News Science team report on 30 August: Rapid bushfire detection was promised after the Black Summer fires. It may have hit a roadblock

The problem of Overlapping fire seasons was highlighted in 2019 in several news articles from ABC News, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian. There has been little coverage of this issue as Austtralia enters our 2023/24 bushfire season, although the issue is known by emergency services.

Let us hope Emergency Services have factored this in to their preparations for what maybe a major fire season for Australia with the potential for catastrophic fires.

Canada wildfires continuing

Peter Carter reports on Facebook that “Another 3,861 Sq Miles Canada Forest burned 10 days
The Canada fires global climate change catastrophe. From 1 Sept. to 11 Sept another 3,485 sq. miles of Canada forest burned, bringing the total to 65,637 Sq. miles. Massive fossil fueled destruction.”

Peter Carter lives in British Columbia and is Director of the Climate Emergency Institute, co-author of Unprecedented Crime, Climate Science Denial,

There are Australian fire fighting teams helping Canadian firefighters and other international teams, battling to control these wildfires.

Northern territory fires

 

The entire Northern Territory has now been declared a fire danger area from 9 September to March 2024.

According to ABC News, NT emergency services are presently battling a large bushfire in the Barkly region, with extra crews called in from South Australia.

Authorities are also closing and re-opening the Barkly Highway depending on conditions.

A total fire ban is in place for Darwin, Adelaide River, Gregory South-East and Barkly North areas.

There is also a separate fire ablaze in Tennant Creek.

Stephen Sutton PhD, Emergency Leaders for Climate Action member and former Chief Fire Control Officer for the Northern Territory,  Published an opinion piece in The Canberra Times, saying that 80% of the Territory may burn this summer

While much of the Northern Territory is desert or semi-desert, it periodically receives huge rainfall, and this encourages intense vegetation growth. Much of this is grass and scrub which grow rapidly, creating a blanket that stretches out to the horizon. As the weather clears, and temperatures climb back to the 40’s, the plants dry out and create a seamless cover of bushfire fuel. 

This pattern, supercharged by climate change, repeats every ten to twelve years with devastating impacts. 2011 was one of those years and I fear we are heading into another. As I write, the first of the fires have started to rage in the Northern Territory, and the peak council for Australian Fire and Emergency Services has indicated that as much as 80% of the region may burn this summer. Fire seasons are getting worse, and climate change is the culprit. 

Climate Council, 5 September 2023

Three fire bombers have been positioned in Tennant Creek, and two strike teams with tankers have been deployed from South Australia, NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services said. There are also NSW firefighters deployed.

Western Australia fire season warning

ABC News have warned that Signs point to a hot, dry fire season ahead for Western Australia,

Department of Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm told the ABC that signs were already pointing to another difficult summer ahead.

“We’re anticipating the bushfire season is going to come forward because the forecast is for not a lot of rain during spring,” he said. “Now is a really good time for people out in the community to revisit their bushfire plan.”

He highlighted the south west land division would be at particular risk. “While it’s a pretty big area, the measurements that we’ve got out there around just the deficiency of moisture in the soil is significant at this time of year already,” he said.

Queensland faces enhanced wildfire danger

9News reports that Queensland issued with highest fire danger rating since 2018

The Darling Downs and Granite Belt regions were issued with catastrophic fire ratings, while extreme fire danger for Maranoa, Warrego and Channel Country districts in early September.

The Toowoomba Chronicle reports that a large forest fire in the Western Downs could burn for weeks, according to authorities..

“The fire burning in the Kumbarilla State Forest and Dunmore State Forest could burn for several weeks,” a warning from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service said.

“Firefighting aircraft are helping ground crews. Major roads or highways may be impacted, including Cecil Plains Moonie Road, Cecil Plains.”

Sydney wakes to smoky air pollution due to hazard reduction burns

Meanwhile in Sydney this week smoke has caused air quality to plummet, enough to issue health warnings for vulnerable people to stay indoors.

7News reports:

“Fire authorities have warned Sydneysiders to brace for more mornings of smoke haze across the city after bushfire hazard reduction caused air quality to plummet.

Thousands of Sydneysiders were urged to stay indoors on Monday after smoke from weekend NSW Rural Fire Service burns settled on the city overnight.

The NSW Environment Department at one point ranked air quality in east Sydney very poor, recommending those with health conditions to stay indoors.

Smoky conditions are likely to continue in Sydney and the Central Coast until mid next week. Firefighters are rushing to do hazard reduction burns.

Only about 24 per cent of NSW planned hazard reduction burns were done in 2022/23 due to inclement weather. This has elevated backburning to a priority, the NSW RFS has said.

Climate change is also reducing the opportunities and time available to do safe reduction burns to reduce fuel load.

Related Background posts:

Warmest Winter on record, Hot Spring and Summer, Warmer oceans for 2023/24

Is Victoria prepared for Spring Season Bushfire outlook 2023?

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