The ongoing bushfires are not only adding about one years carbon budget in Australia, but it is spoiling New Zealand’s pristine snow fields and causing health issues for its population.
The neglect is not only on Human Impact of Climate Change (HICC) measures but also providing the assets, infrastructure, surveillance and support to the RFS to stop any fires quickly before they become catastrophic. Questions need now to be asked about the lack of preparedness at all levels of governance..
South Island Mountain tops smudged brown with particle fallout
Politicians who are continuing to blame natural events do not cut the mustard for any reasonable honest or ethical pundit. Apart from adding the carbon to Australia’s carbon budget for the Paris agreement, Australia should be potentially compensating New Zealand for the damages caused. And Why?
Well for 20 years the Australian Government knew about this impending event and was ill prepared to stop it quickly with a massive alert and quick response for fire fighting assets to be employed to stop the fires from spreading. It is unacceptable to rely on the courageous and committed RFS brigades around the country to do it on their own.
South Island mountain ranges.
Thankfully Defence Minister Reynolds acted quickly and called in the assets of the Army reserve to help out. According to one Ecotect-Architects’ past client (Silver Medal House of the Year winner in Lake Wanaka) a few years ago, people could not even put their clothes out on the clothes line without soot build up being dumped on their clothes.
For Australia to bend to the deniers of responsibility and culpability is not acceptable. We now need to act on all fronts:
- Assist New Zealand with problems caused
- Give all the support to the RFS and the fire victims
- Look as a Special Force of the Australia Army to fight fires when they arise and support the RFS with massive response assets.
- Do something meaningful and show leadership on extra measures to deal with Climate Change (tagging along with a minimalist approach is ridiculous when we are the actual victims of it).
Wise Earth PL is doing its’ bit by supporting fire victims and helping with better design and building detail as well as better research initiative responses for the future. Hopefully this fire catastrophe will be a final wake up call for Australia on Human Impact on Climate Change (HICC).
Utopia being ruined for NZ (damages being shared with the planet)