Article Dated: 7 March 2019
Fruit cooking on trees. Possums throwing themselves into the ocean. And Port Augusta hitting 49.5°C like it’s trying to set the sun on fire. If you’ve been sweating through the past few months wondering if this is normal - spoiler: it’s not.
According to the Climate Council, Australia just clocked its “angriest summer ever” a chaotic cocktail of bushfires, floods, and heatwaves that scorched its way across the country. We’re not talking fluke weather. We’re talking climate breakdown.
“This summer was so hot we witnessed fruit cooking on trees,” said Amanda McKenzie, CEO of the Climate Council.
“It’s part of a long-term warming trend driven by fossil fuels and land clearing.”
And while communities are burning, the government is... doing what exactly? Nothing that resembles a real climate policy. No credible plan to cut emissions. No roadmap for industry. Just heat, smoke, and silence.
Former NSW Fire and Rescue Commissioner Greg Mullins says fire seasons are no longer seasonal - they’re annual. And with longer seasons, he warns, we simply don’t have enough resources to defend the country.
Enter Bushfire Services for Climate Change Action, a new advocacy group calling out the government’s inaction. Their message? If you’re still championing coal and treating renewables like a side project, you’re not just behind, you're holding back the solutions.
“The link between climate change and bushfire frequency is clear,” their site reads.
“The government can’t ignore how denial is hurting communities and costing lives.”
Meanwhile, in Victoria, the crisis hit home in a brutal way: 127 ringtail possums were found dead or dying along the shoreline of Somers Beach, fleeing burning forests, dehydrated, and desperate enough to drink seawater. Wildlife rescuers called it heartbreaking. Scientists called it the reality check we’ve been warned about for decades.
“This isn’t just about endangered species,” said Dr. Euan Ritchie from Deakin University.
“Even common species are collapsing. That’s a pretty big reality check.”
The message? We’re out of time.
So if you’re heading to the polls thinking clean air and a liveable planet should be optional, maybe think again. Because this election is about more than preferences. It’s about survival.
Tell both major parties where your vote stands:
#StopAdani, ditch the fossil fantasy, and commit to 100% clean energy, before the next summer scorches everything in its path.
