{"id":30263,"date":"2013-10-18T07:00:40","date_gmt":"2013-10-18T07:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/world.350.org\/ja\/2013\/10\/18\/bushfires-raging-spring-something\/"},"modified":"2013-10-18T07:00:40","modified_gmt":"2013-10-18T07:00:40","slug":"bushfires-raging-spring-something","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.350.org\/ja\/bushfires-raging-spring-something\/","title":{"rendered":"Bushfires Raging in Spring. Something is up."},"content":{"rendered":"

Bushfires are raging across the state of New South Wales in Australia. It’s only Spring. Something is up. Yesterday, the Greens Member of Parliament, Adam Bandt, made headlines by suggesting that climate change is connected with the deadly NSW bushfires, which are causing widespread destruction. <\/span>It has been treated as if he was speaking like a radical – by the media and by deniers. But there is nothing radical about what Bandt said – it\u2019s what the Bureau of Meteorology have said and it\u2019s what the Firefighters Union have said when addressing Parliamentarians:<\/span><\/p>\n

“We are asking you very clearly, stop making this a political football, put in place the action that’s required to secure the future because by 2020 we are going to see a frequency like we’ve not seen before.”<\/em> <\/strong>— United Firefighters Union of Australia<\/p>\n

It\u2019s deeply worrying that, here in Australia, the causes and impacts of climate change have remained a political football. The increasing frequency and severity of bushfires show us that we can’t hide from climate change impacts – they are happening already – not just here but all over the world. From the melting of the Arctic, larger cyclones hitting the Philippines, wildfires and drought in the United States, the list goes on. We\u2019re entering a new era of weather extremes and it has a deadly toll.  <\/p>\n

How can any of us watch, be affected and not be frightened about what climate change means for all of us in Australia?  We can’t bury our heads in the sand — we need to face what we’re up against and insist on political action to reduce our emissions and avoid further community devastation. Bushfires aren’t political, but we need political action to stop them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What can we do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Talk about it!<\/strong> It’s a real concern and we need to talk to our politicians (pick up the phone and call your MPs and Senators), your local paper or radio station, your community and neighbours. Don’t let deniers stop you voicing your concerns about the climate impacts we face nor the action needed to address them! <\/p>\n

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