Australia's Angriest Summer

OUR ECO-SYSTEM IS UNDER THREAT AND HIGHLY VULNERABLE DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE

From extreme heat, to bushfires to floods. This is what the climate council is calling Australia’s angriest summer on record in a report that was released last Thursday. And if you were unlucky enough to live in Port August (Adelaide) this season, you would have experienced numerous days of record-breaking 49.5 degrees heat.

"This summer was so hot we witnessed fruit cooking on trees," Climate Council chief executive Amanda McKenzie said.

“The record-breaking heat in Australia over the 2018/19 Summer is part of a long-term warming trend from the burning of fossil fuels and land clearing.

For many years’ scientists have warned that climate change is driving worsening extreme weather. The Angry Summer is another example of the consequences of climate change today.

Protecting Australians from worsening extreme weather requires phasing out fossil fuels and accelerating the transition to renewables and storage technologies.”

The Federal Government has no credible climate change policy to drive down greenhouse gas pollution from fossil fuel or anything in place to assist industry with the necessary changes.

Former Commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW Greg Mullins said in a statement that severe fire seasons are “now happening almost every year”. Mr Mullins said, due to the longer seasons, there wasn't enough fire services to defend Australia.

A new advocacy group has also emerged, Bushfire Services for Climate Change Action, demanding Parliament acts immediately and put climate change on the top of their priority list.   

"There is a clear link between climate change and the frequency and destructiveness of bushfires," the website reads.

"The government can no longer ignore the way their climate change denial is hurting our communities and putting lives at risk. They must take Australia beyond fossil fuel projects like Adani and move to 100% renewable energy for all."

From a wildlife perspective, possums, koala’s, bats and other animals have been found dead on mass at the bottom of trees or not far from their habitat. In an article posted today from The Guardian reported more than 100 dead and injured ringtail possums were found along a stretch of beach in Victoria due to extreme heat.

**Image credit: The Guardian

The article states 127 ringtail possums were found along the shoreline and even in the water at Somers Beach on the Mornington Peninsula after an extreme heat wave and bushfires.

Aware Wildlife rescuer and foster carer, Melanie Attard, indicated the animals had become so desperate and dehydrated they had left their normal habitat in an attempt to find water.

“We assume they’ve come out due to the heat stress heading for the water in desperation,” she said. “It’s not nice seeing a possum throwing itself into the beach and drinking seawater. It’s really desperate.” Out of the 127 animals found, only 27 had survived and would be released back into the wild when they had recovered.

Euan Ritchie, an associate professor of wildlife ecology and conservation at Deakin University’s Centre for Integrative Ecology, said “the extreme weather that had been predicted for decades was now affecting several species.”

“These recent heatwaves have been a disaster. The spectacular flying foxes. The bogong moths. This just really adds to that story,” he said.

“It’s not just we’re talking about endangered species. This is a common species and it’s falling over.

“That’s a pretty big reality check.”

Will you be a climate change voter in this upcoming election?

Send a clear message through the Australian Conservation Foundation to both majors parties now — “If you want my vote you must #StopAdani, end digging up and burning coal and switch to 100% clean energy.