While people are blaming global warming causes the extremely dry conditions in Australia, there are other factors that contribute to the wildfires in Australia.

Arsonists are also responsible for some of the Australian deadly wildfires. The Australian police arrested 24 people who deliberately set fires, 53 people who allegedly failed to comply with the state’s fire ban and 47 people who discarded a lit cigarette or match on the ground. Others failed to handle the campfire properly. It is estimated that 85% of the fires are started by humans, either by arsons or accidents. 

Some of the fires are set by children who are younger than 10 years old. It is important to educate the public a deliberately lit fire can cause vast amounts of damage and may cause loss of life. The government should charge the arsonists with severe sentences. 

People also blame environmental activists hounded the government to stop hazard reduction in state forests. The environmental policies forbid the Australian to remove the trees. As a result, the unmanaged forests become huge fuels to the wildfires. Hazard reduction, also known as fuel reduction, is a preventive technique that protects land and property before a fire approaches. It involves chopping down trees and removing flammable leaf litter. Hazard reduction is important for reducing the potential fuel for fires.

Besides hazard reduction, back burning can also be done after the fire has started. Back burning is a fire set intentionally around the path of an approaching fire. It usually starts in more favorable weather conditions to reduce the chance that these fires might become dangerous. If back burning is done properly, it can reduce the fuel, and hence, reduce the spread of the fire. Again, critics point fingers at the Greens policy that neither hazard reduction nor back burning are done enough to prevent the Australia wildfires. The Australian government should revise their laws so that forests receive regular clearance and maintenance. Controlled burning should take place to prevent wildfires.

No matter what the reasons are, the Austrialia wildfire is a big tradegy. The fire is still ongoing, and the fire season is expected to last till March. Some forests will never recover, and there is a fear that the seeds that lie deep in the soil may have already been damaged. It takes days to burn a forest but it takes decades to grow a tree!

Our Sources

Politifact, “The Australia bushfires have nothing to do with climate change; it was arson.” Jan 7, 2020

BBC.com, “ Australia fires: Your questions about arson, travel and recovery.”, January 20, 2020 

Washington Times, “Gross mismanagement: Green forestry policies blamed for fueling Australian bush fires”, Janauary 20, 2020