What's Behind Australia's Historic Fires

Short Wave

NPR

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4.7 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 8 January 2020

⏱️ 11 minutes

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Summary

Biologist Lesley Hughes from Macquarie University in Australia explains why the recent bushfires there could change the country forever. Hughes is a former federal climate commissioner, and has been the lead author on two reports for the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Follow host Maddie Sofia on Twitter @maddie_sofia. Email the show at [email protected].

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to shortwave from NPR.
0:06.4	Things in Australia are really bad.
0:09.1	No end in sight to the nation's bushfire emergency.
0:12.7	Fires there have grown out of control.
0:15.0	Authorities across Southeast Australia are racing to get people the safety.
0:19.4	Why is this happening?
0:20.5	Well, it's summer there.
0:22.2	From the rainforests of Queensland and northern New South Wales to the Blue Mountains.
0:26.1	It's gotten well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
0:28.8	Almost 2,000 homes have been destroyed.
0:32.5	Things are incredibly dry.
0:34.3	From the Adalied Hills to Gipsland in Victoria.
0:37.3	And high winds.
0:38.3	More than 200 fires in all.
0:39.9	Are only making it worse.
0:41.8	From Tasmania.
0:42.8	It's astonishing what's happening in this country.
0:45.1	To Western Australia.
0:46.4	Firefighters are working around the clock.
0:48.4	An area as big as Belgium has been reduced to ash.
0:51.9	Wind here just keeps picking up.
0:53.4	It is fueling, it is flames.
	...

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