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Great Barrier Reef

How Coral Bleaching In The Great Barrier Reef Has Impacted Its Inhabitants

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Climate Change has caused countless environments throughout the world to be destroyed, ecosystems to change, and species to face endangerment/extinction. The Great Barrier Reef in Australia has faced some of the greatest challenges throughout the past decade, and now, its enduring its third mass bleaching event within five years.

The last time the reef endured a mass bleaching event as intense as this one is gearing up to be, a third of all corals were killed, and fish populations declined rapidly, which also caused the specific ecosystems/species within the reef to change for the worse as well. A recent study wanted to analyze what actual effects these bleaching events have on the fish species that live among the coral reefs, as that could help us better prevent these types of things from occurring in other reefs around the world.

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The scientists behind the international study used something called “gene expression” as a tool to understand how well fish are able to handle hotter temperatures, which is an effect of coral bleaching. According to the study, gene expression is “the process where a gene is read by cell machinery and creates a product such as a protein, resulting in a physical trait.” Using this process, scientists were able to predict which fish species would specifically be the most at risk/affected by repeated heat waves that lead to bleaching. 

The study initially began in 2015 when the researchers collected liver biopsies from several species of coral reef fish after global ocean temperatures increased by 1 degree Celsius that year, however, at the time the team of scientists had no idea how different everything would look in just 5 years; in terms of coral bleaching, ocean temperatures/acidification, and climate change in general. 

It wasn’t until one year later that things took a turn for the worse. In 2016, Jodie Remmer, a lead author on the study, along with one other researcher on the project went to the Great Barrier Reef to work on a completely different project when they realized that the ocean temperature around them read as 33°C. This was absolutely shocking in the worst way possible, as 33°C was the same temperature that Remmer claims to have been used in a climate change simulation where scientists predicted what the world would look like, environment wise, by the year 2100, meaning climate change has intensified to a much more urgent level than anyone expected by 2016.

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After one week, Remmer claimed they watched entire patches of coral reef turn bone-white, as fish populations abandoned their homes in search of new resources for food. During that time, scientists collected genetic samples from a multitude of fish and coral species. What they were looking for is how these species “switched their genes on and off” based on environmental conditions. Some genes should always be on, and others should be regulated and used as a response to things like temperature stress (like during a bleaching event). 

The ability to turn these genes on and off is what gives all species the ability to maintain proper metabolic, respiratory, and immune responses to environmental changes. When this gene expression is compromised, so is the ability to survive, hence the massive decline in coral reef ecosystems/fish populations. 

“Our findings not only have implications for specific fish species, but for the whole ecosystem. So policymakers and the fishing industry should screen more species to predict which will be sensitive and which will tolerate warming waters and heatwaves. This is not a ‘one size fits all’ situation. Fish have been on the planet for more than 400 million years. Over time, they may adapt to rising temperatures or migrate to cooler waters. But, the three recent mass bleaching events are unprecedented in human history, and fish won’t have time to adapt,” Remmer stated. 

Remmer went on to say that her and her team’s goal has always been to protect the ocean and all of its inhabitants as much as possible. This new information and data isn’t very encouraging, however, it does give scientists and the government the sense of urgency they often need in order to justify a global response.

Australia Rain

Australia Is Finally Getting Some Much Needed Rainfall

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Australia’s bushfire crisis has been ongoing for over three months now, and it’s truly been one of the most intense and devastating natural disasters in history. Over one billion animals have perished, and over 2 million hectares of land have been destroyed. However, after weeks upon weeks of waiting for a break from the flames, it began to rain over the east coast of Australia. 

Sydney, Australia, along with other cities residing on the east coast, recorded its wettest day in over 15 months this Friday (2/7/20), somewhat of a miracle for the continent. The large amount of rain has reportedly extinguished 20 of the 60 fires in the state of New South Wales (NSW), where a majority of the fires were. That’s one-third of the fires that were ravaging Australia throughout the past few months, and local meteorologists are predicting more fires will be put out as well. 

NSW in general has been dealing with a wide-spread drought for the past three years, which was a major contributing factor to how intense and fast the bushfires spread.

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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 07

“We were over the moon to see the state’s forecast for a week-long drenching finally. This is that constant, steady, decent rainfall that we’ve been praying for for so long. This isn’t just one of those scattered showers we saw a month ago. This is really helping our firefighters, and in some places, giving them a well-needed rest,” said NSW Rural Fire Service (NSWRFS) spokeswoman Angela Burford to BBC.

While NSW is receiving some much needed relief from their fires, the rest of Australia is still struggling to control the flames. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, and other cities that are more inland and southern are still dealing with some of the largest fires that the continent has experienced during this entire epidemic; at one point Canberra was completely shut down due to the extensive damage and dangerous air conditions.

While Canberra has seen a few scattered rainstorms themselves, it doesn’t even compare to what NSW has been experiencing. In an almost ironic turn of events, the amount of rainfall that’s occurring on Australia’s east coast is actually becoming an issue, as multiple flash-flooding warnings have been dealt out within the past week. 

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According to local meteorology reports for the upcoming week, there’s a severe wet weather warning for over 600 miles worth of land in Australia, all predominantly on the east coast. The warning calls for heavy rainfall, high-speed damaging winds, and “abnormally high tides.” Locals from NSW have even stated that the rainfall so far has seemed to be heavier than when they experienced a cyclone storm two years ago; both a blessing and a curse. 

As previously stated these severe wet weather warnings are being enforced through next week, so while local meteorologists are emphasizing safety over everything, it is predicted that these storms will contain a majority of NSW’s fires. 

“This has been an absolute welcome disruption to the weather pattern and a massive reprieve and relief to so many people. While hotter and drier conditions would likely return in the coming weeks, this particular period of rain is breaking the back of this fire season, no doubt,” said NSWRFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons on Friday.

Bushfire season traditionally lasts until April in Australia. Obviously the extreme fires that have occurred during this year’s season are nothing like what the continent normally experiences. Officials know based on past fire seasons that the worst of it is still yet to come, and they continue to prepare for new fires to start everyday.

Burnt Trees in Australia

The Aboriginal Landscape After The Australian Wildfires

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Australian wildfires are not uncommon and the Australian summer holds an annual and expected fire season. The naturally hot and dry climate is prone to fires either by an accidental spark or lightning strike. The recent wildfires however, having started in September 2019 and still burning, have proved themselves to be of greater devastation and exceeding magnitude than normal. They have burned over six million hectares of land, generating smoke that shrouds cities and is causing health concerns. It is estimated that one billion animals  have been killed, and habitats destroyed leaving survivors facing dehydration. Over twenty-five people have been killed and countless homes destroyed. It is an understatement to say that the fires have devastated the land.

In terms of what caused such catastrophic fires, Australia had suffered a long period of drought after seeing a year of record temperatures. Climate change is generally accepted to have played a part in the wildfires, due to the rising global and thus Australia’s temperatures, from unnatural CO2 levels in the atmosphere. This sadly therefore indicates that fires are set to get worse and more intense in future years.

The Indigenous cultures of Australia, who have a deep and profound relationship with the land, saw great swathes of their homes, loved landscapes and sacred spaces swallowed up by flames. In one example, the Yuin people, predominately living in areas of New South Wales are concerned that several sites of cultural importance have been wiped out completely particularly between Mumbulla mountain and Gulaga.

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As the fires ravaged through national parks and other areas, many important Aboriginal sites have been affected. In an article from nature.com, it is indicated that archaeologists and Aboriginal people alike are concerned for these areas but the devastation has not yet been assessed. Even if the fires have not destroyed cultural sites or homes completely, the consequences of by-products such as smoke may have affected stone paintings and sacred natural sites may have been damaged.

In some areas the wildfires have revealed new areas of interest, such as previously unknown sections to an ancient aquatic system over 6000 years old, dating back further than the pyramids and Stonehenge, created by the Gunditjmara people. The fires may have also opened up areas that previously were unavailable for human access, allowing the investigation of new sites. Many Aboriginal areas that are feared to be damaged are relatively new to archaeological knowledge, but nonetheless remain of significant and current value to Indigenous peoples.

In light of the wildfires, many have begun to look to Aboriginal culture for solutions, some Indigenous spokespersons speaking out to re-establish the Aboriginal technique of “cultural burning” which was previously used by Indigenous people to tend to, care for, and protect the land and its inhabitants from such fires.

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Stemming from the profound, unique, and deep understanding of the land that Aboriginal culture has cultivated over hundreds of years, the practice of “cultural burning” is a technique that involves setting controlled fires in areas of excessive debris at the right time of year to prevent larger fires in hotter periods. The exercise, over thousands of years old and perfected by Indigenous cultures, aims to nourish the land, taking into consideration the habitats of animals among other elements.

Oliver Costello of the national Indigenous Firesticks Alliance, was quoted in The Guardian as it being “important for the health and regeneration of particular plants and animals. It retains balance and allows destructive elements to be prevented or destroyed. Animals are able to safely react to the smaller fires and it keeps their habitat safe.”

Before Australia was colonized and its land unfairly taken from the Aboriginal people, the practice of “cultural burning” was regularly undertaken. The practice was skilled and frequent, the nuances of which were arguably lost on the colonizers. Many Aboriginal people today, believe there is a need to return to cultural burning in order to preserve and nurture the land. Local authorities however, have banned it, opting for their own “controlled burns” which Shannon Foster, a knowledge keeper for the D’harawal people, commented to the BBC:

“The current controlled burns destroy everything. It’s a naive way to practice fire management, and it isn’t hearing the Indigenous people who know the land best.”

When sought, authorities have denied previously permissions for cultural burns, despite Aboriginal elders being concerned about the risk of out of control fires for some time. Perhaps though, it is now time to work with and value the ideas of Aboriginal cultures. Utilizing their deep and unique understanding of the land is one way of preserving and nourishing Australia’s beautiful landscape and culture. After all, it is their land too.

Australia

Australia Welcomes Tourists in Aftermath of Wildfires

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Wildfires have been raging throughout Australia for several weeks now, though fortunately, they are fewer in number now as many of them were extinguished by recent storms. Unfortunately, the timing of the wildfires coincided with the country’s tourism season, meaning that tourism operators have lost a tremendous amount of money as tourists have canceled their trips due to the ongoing natural disaster. As such, tourism agencies have intensified their efforts to attract tourists to various parts of the country by showing that many areas of the country were unaffected by the fires, and retain the attractions that have drawn tremendous crowds of tourists in the past. Tourism helps to stimulate the local economy, which is essential as Australia recovers from an environmental and economic disaster. It’s most helpful to visit the areas that have been hit hardest by the fires, which include Victoria and New South Wales.

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CNN has compiled a list of the top cities to visit in Australia for 2020. At the top of their list is Canberra, the Australian capital. Canberra isn’t generally considered a top tourist destination, but the city has many local attractions that can appeal to vacationers, including the Parliament House, the Australian War Memorial, and the National Gallery. By visiting these landmark locations, tourists can learn about the history of Australia and even witness Australian politics in action at the country’s primary law-making body. The National Gallery seeks to preserve the culture and lifestyle of Australia’s indigenous people, as well as art from around the country and the world. The National Gallery hosts a number of different events throughout the year and is a great place to visit during a vacation in Australia.

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A place in Australia that is a favorite spot for relaxation among tourists is Batemans Bay in New South Wales, where visitors can enjoy the view where the Clyde River meets the sea and enjoy outdoor meals at local eateries. Batemans Bay is home to Birdland Animal Park, a nature preserve where tourists can engage with local wildlife, including baby wombats. Recently, Birdland Animal Park has seen a sharp decline in visitors, and the business is struggling in a way that it hasn’t in twenty-six years, so the park would surely appreciate an influx of tourists from around the world. The park has not seen any damage from the wildfires, though the surrounding forests have, but locals expect these forests to start to regrow within a few months.

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Those who are more interested in visiting the beach will enjoy Moruya, which is a short drive south from Batemans Bay. Here, visitors can board a seaplane with South Coast Seaplanes to view the beautiful continent from above, though these views are likely to contain dead forests blackened by wildfires. Also, visitors can fly over the nearby Montague Island and witness a fur seal colony from above.

Hail Storm

Golf Ball-Sized Hailstones Fall in Australia

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Over the past several weeks, Australia has experienced extreme wildfires which threaten wildlife all over the continent and continue to this day. Now, another extreme weather event has befallen Australia, as golf ball-sized hailstones have fallen from the sky in Canberra, destroying vehicles and threatening human safety and property. The hail arrived alongside severe thunderstorms, which left two tourists in the hospital after they were struck by lightning. The hail has already caused serious damage in Australia; glasshouses in which studies on crop sustainability were being conducted were destroyed by the hail, ruining the scientific endeavors conducted in the building and leading the Insurance Council of Australia to declare the storms a “catastrophe.” 

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Given the apocalyptic nature of the wildfires that have destroyed large swaths of the country, the rain provided by the storms is welcome, but the destructive hail it brought only contributes to more misery in a country besieged by recent rare and extreme weather events. Unfortunately, such weather events are likely to continue throughout the coming years and decades, as scientists believe that the weather was made much more powerful by the effects of climate change, which will only worsen over the next century irrespective of whether humans eliminate their greenhouse gas emissions, which itself seems unlikely. The country’s Bureau of Meteorology warned of “giant” hailstones in advance of the storm, but it was impossible for people to prepare for the destruction that the hail wrought upon the city of Canberra and the surrounding areas. The hail injured a large number of birds, many of which were brought to vets by concerned passersby.

While the hailstorm lasted just thirty minutes, it badly damaged hundreds of cars and buildings, according to The Guardian. Fortunately, no deaths were reported, although two people were treated for minor injuries from the hail. As a result of the storm, 20,000 houses and buildings lost power in the south-east part of the country. The winds from the storm were so powerful that they ripped branches from trees and knocked over trees, in some cases causing people to be trapped in their cars on the road as felled trees blocked their path. Additionally, the National Museum of Australia experienced serious damage as the storm tore off part of the building’s roof, caused leaks in hallways, and damaged shade cloths, leading the building to close its doors. According to the Insurance Council of Australia, more than 11,000 claims have been filed in connection with the storm. 

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And as if these extreme weather events weren’t enough, the weather has also brought huge dust storms to the country, which were so powerful that they blocked out the sunlight. New South Wales was particularly affected, and citizens shared videos of the tremendous storms on social media, drawing significant attention online. People around the world have chipped in to help Australia in the aftermath of these wildfires; for instance, runners are participating in a virtual race for charity in order to raise money to benefit the country. With hope, calm weather will return to Australia soon, and the country will have a chance to recover. 

Man Running

Runners Coordinate to Support Australian Wildfire Relief Efforts

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The historic and massive wildfires currently devastating Australia have inspired people around the world to raise money in order to aid in the relief efforts, as the resources necessary to combat the fires are overwhelming. The global running community is among those who are trying to help, as thousands of runners will participate in a virtual race taking place on January 18th and January 19th, with 100% of proceeds going towards relief efforts in Australia. The event, which anyone around the world with the Strava smartphone app can participate in, will consist of a 5k race and a half-marathon race, and the effort has already raised $345,000 with the event still more than a week away.

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The idea was born when Samantha Gash, a 35-year-old endurance athlete from Australia, was watching the destruction unfold on TV and felt compelled to help in any way she could. Though she contemplated simply donating to existing organizations, she ultimately decided her efforts would be more successful if she tapped into the fundraising potential of the running community. In order to participate in the virtual event, people must enter in advance on the organization’s website and contribute a minimum of $50. Because of the large number of runners expected to participate in the event, Gash is working directly with Strava, an app that bills itself as a social network for runners, to ensure that the races go off without a hitch.

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Thanks to the internet and the vast network of runners around the world wanting to pitch in to help Australia, the website reached dozens of countries, including the United States, New Zealand, and Germany within 48 hours of its launch. The organizers have already exceeded their wildest fundraising expectations, as their original goal was to raise just $20,000. Of course, you don’t have to be a runner to participate, as you can donate directly to relief efforts through the organization’s website even if you don’t plan to participate in the race.

 

Golden Globe

Celebrities Comment on Culture at 2020 Golden Globes

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Last night’s Golden Globes ceremony offered a number of insights into the world of American culture as the event reflected the complex dynamic between technology, entertainment, and politics. 

As a likely consequence of fears about the impact of streaming services on the movie-going audience, Netflix won just two prizes despite holding 34 nominations, and director Sam Mendes, who won the Globe for best director, said that he hoped his prize for the World War I epic “1917” would mean that “people will turn up and see this on the big screen, the way it was intended.” Mendes’s comments mirror remarks made by Martin Scorcese, director of the acclaimed “The Irishman,” who asked audiences to watch his film in theaters if possible, despite the film being made possible thanks to a considerable investment from Netflix. As people increasingly abandon theaters for the convenience offered by mobile devices, directors fear that the cinematic experience afforded by a night at the movies faces extinction, as evidenced by their negative commentary on the nature of streaming services as well as the relative paucity of prizes award to Netflix and similar services.

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The timing of the ceremony coincided with a number of significant political events, which celebrities unsurprisingly took the opportunity to offer their personal views on. In particular, climate change took center stage last night, as actors used their platform to draw attention to the wildfires currently devastating Australia and the world’s relative lack of action in the face of catastrophic global warming. Russell Crowe was not able to attend the ceremony as he was in Australia with his family, so Jennifer Aniston, who spoke on his behalf, pleaded with the world “to act” in the midst of this crisis in order to “respect our planet for the unique and amazing place it is.” Joaqin Phoenix, too, addressed climate change while accepting his award for his performance in “Joker,” saying, “it’s really nice that so many people have sent their well wishes to Australia but we have to do more than that,” adding “we don’t have to take private jets to Palm Springs for the awards.”

Coincidentally, the show took place the night before the first day of Harvey Weinstein’s trial; while nobody mentioned Weinstein by name, some celebrities addressed the problem of sexual misconduct and the value of speaking truth to power. Michelle Williams, who won the award for best actress in a limited series or TV movie for “Fosse/Verdon,” urged women to vote in their own self-interest in order to gain political power, saying “as women and as girls, things can happen to our bodies that our not our choice.” 

The new threat of war with Iran also became a subject for commentary during the show, as several actors and actresses expressed their opposition to the conflict and to President Donald Trump more generally. Patricia Arquette, while accepting an award for her role in “The Act,” criticized the president directly, saying that historians will characterize that night as “a country on the brink of war… and a president tweeting out a threat of 52 bombs including cultural sites.” She concluded by saying, “while I love my kids so much, I beg of us all to give them a better world.”

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Last night’s ceremony functioned not just as a recognition for the talent featured in the entertainment world, but of the overall atmosphere of despair clouding the American public consciousness. This was perhaps best captured by Ricky Gervais’s nihilistic opening monologue, during which he repeatedly told the audience that he didn’t care, despite preemptively accusing his celebrity peers of hypocrisy for their political activism as they’ve done work for companies with questionable ethics like Apple and Amazon, and concluding his monologue by urging the audience to “donate to Australia.” Gervais went so far as to say, “if you do win an award tonight, don’t use it as a platform to make a political speech; you’re in no position to lecture the public about anything, you know nothing of the real world.” Such a scathing and nihilistic attitude is a consequence of the fatigue many of us feel in response to the extremity of recent political events, and as this fatigue continues, it is sure to manifest ever-more prominently in American culture.

Bushfire in Australia

Australia’s Bushfires Shut Down Capital City of Canberra

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The bushfires in Australia have now claimed the lives of half a billion animals, 24 people, and caused extensive damage that’s almost unfathomable to imagine. These fires have been taking over the continent for a month now, and currently are burning over 13 million acres of land. Countless celebrities and individuals with high social media followings have been calling on everyone to donate what they can to relief efforts, as conditions are progressively getting worse every day. 

Recently, Canberra, the capital of Australia, was forced to shut down the Australian federal government department that is responsible for management of nationwide emergencies due to poor air quality conditions. Canberra had a rating of 340 on the Air Quality Index; for comparison, “good” air quality is considered anywhere from 0 to 50 on the Index scale. 

The Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Health branches that are located in Canberra have been closed and all non-essential staff have been told to evacuate. In general, the city has shut down most services due to the poor environmental conditions. This includes all childcare services, galleries, retail locations, schools, etc. Safety and health have now become the main priority for all living things nationwide.  

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There’s approximately up to 200 active fires still burning in Australia, almost half remain uncontained. Australia is used to having a “fire season” alongside the winter months (January and February) however, the fires have already been blazing for over a month now, making this one of the worst fire seasons to date. Typically, fire season in Australia doesn’t affect residential areas and refreshes certain plots of land to grow new crops through the burning. Now, it’s uncertain what results will come following the containment of all the fires. 

“The crisis is not over, there are months to go. [I’m] establishing a $2 billion (1.39 billion American dollars) National Bushfire Recovery Agency to help people hit by the unprecedented bushfires get the support they needed. It’s a long road ahead and we will be with these communities every step of the way as they rebuild. The funds will be used to help get communities back on their feet by rebuilding roads, mental health support, and helping restore the local environment,” said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in a release. 

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Along with Prime Minister Morrison’s announcement, the New South Wales (NSW) police department also made a statement in which they claimed that they’re already taking legal action against 183 people for “bushfire-related offences.” The charges began in November, when the fires initially started, and the NSW police have stated 24 individuals have specifically been charged over “deliberately-lit fires” that spread out of control.  

The Australian Defence Force also made a statement this past weekend in which they said they would be increasing overall fire support and bringing in over 3,000 army reservists to help contain the natural disaster. One of the biggest Australian Navy vessels, HMAS Adelaide, is being used to evacuate up to 5,000 australians.

The conditions are growing worse. The photos online depict the entire continent to look like that of another planet. The sky is an amber red hue, smoke makes it impossible to see more than 100 feet in front of you, and citizens are constantly taking to the street to evacuate. There are countless resources that anyone from anywhere can use to help with relief efforts and all the sites are linked right here. As the fires continue to blaze and destroy the continent, more awareness is being brought to the devastation. Hopefully those with platforms continue to speak up, and those actually there remain safe and sound until this is completely contained.

Surfer at Beach

How Climate Change is Affecting the Australian Summer

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The Australian summer is something that many around the world long to experience. Who would not want to spend the long warm days on the beach, surfing some of the world’s greatest waves while soaking up some sun? Or maybe staying at home and lounging around the pool in the backyard, inviting friends and family over for a barbecue. Such thoughts bring feelings of happiness and relaxation.

But the summer of the last few years has brought another feeling to the mix: fear. Due to the increasing number of bushfires – many close to homes, businesses, retailers and schools – residents, and therefore vacationers and tourists, are increasingly worrying about the threat of damage to their properties and lives.

2019 has seen higher numbers of bush fires than in previous years, with much of the country now living with a haze of smoke even if they are not directly affected by the fires. This last week has seen the town of Batemans Bay in New South Wales having to evacuate to the beach while the fires rip through their homes while many campgrounds around the continent have closed for the summer due to the “code red” conditions.

Australia – as well as many other countries across the world – has seen its summers increase in temperatures over the years, however the link between the current conditions as well as anthropogenic climate change is immense.

So far over 5 million hectares of land have been lost. Compare this to the estimated 906,000 hectares that were lost in the Amazon Rainforest earlier in the year. It is staggering that there has not been more coverage – or more help provided from the rest of the world.

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And it is not just land that has been devastated. So far there have been eighteen deaths, including firefighters, as well as the enormous amount of wildlife that has been lost. Figures currently estimate there have been around 500 million animals that have died with 30 percent of the koala population wiped out.

Australia sees higher temperatures in January and February, so these statistics are only going to get worse causing many to call on the government for more support.

However, while Australia sees bushfires every year making it the continent most likely to burn, what has made this year so bad? As with all fires, bushfires need specific resources to grow – dry fuel, weather conditions and ignition. And thanks to the effects climate change is having on the weather and fuel, the fires are becoming bigger and occur more often and for longer.

Scientists have been warning us that the world is getting warmer each year, with Australia increasing in temperature by one degree Celsius throughout the last 100 years, and this has caused a change in the intensity, as well as the frequency, of their heat waves.

The increase in the temperatures has caused an increase in evaporation, drying the fuel and soil load. Over ten years ago the IPCC – the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – came to the conclusion that the continuing anthropogenic climate change would increase how often Australia would experience fires. They also predicted that these fires would increase in intensity.

With the rising temperatures continuing to dry out the environment, they can be reduced by precipitation or by increasing the vegetation, which can improve humidity.

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However Australia’s southern states have seen a considerable decrease in rainfall, with the southwest seeing a decrease of nearly twenty per cent in the last forty years. The southeast has also seen a decrease of eleven percent of rainfall since the 1990s.

While there are many factors contributing to the drop in rainfall the positive trend in the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) is one of the biggest. The change has seen the westerly winds across the Southern Ocean to move south towards Antarctica, meaning the rain-bearing cold fronts are bypassing southern Australia.

Scientists have also blamed the trend of anthropogenic climate change for increasing the trend in the SAM.

These changes have played a significant role in why the 2019-2020 summer has been so intense, however southeast Australia has been suffering from a drought for the last three years having not seen any winter rain since 2017, which has not happened in Australia’s history before – not even when they experienced their ten year droughts including the Millennium Drought.

And with large areas of vegetation unable to survive the wet rain forests are drying out, meaning areas that would not normally see fires are starting to burn.

This year also saw one of the most severe positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) events which saw the cold sea-surface temperatures putting a halt to one of the biggest resources of moisture for Australia. When these events happen Australia usually experiences a longer fire season and the positive IOD events are another aspect of global warming as they are occurring more often.

With many Australians accusing their government of not doing enough to stop climate change – and many not even acknowledging that it is an issue – it is hard to see that these fires will start to reduce. And that is not good for anyone anywhere.

Planting

New Technology Could Help Plant Over 1 Billion Trees By 2030

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Canadian scientists are planning on planting 1 billion trees within the next eight years. Flash Forest is the “reforestation company” that will be responsible for the massive project. Their method involves drones, pods of seeds, and some math. According to their website, the company uses their drone technology to map out areas that would benefit the most from an increase in vegetation and carbon dioxide (which the trees would provide). 

Flash Forest has a Kickstarter page to help with the rising costs of the technology they require. The process of planting trees by distributing seeds via drones is a lot more complex than one might imagine. 

“[Our] company uses a pneumatic machine attached to a drone to plant the pods. Each vessel contains three germinated seeds as well as other species which support the area, a fungus called mycorrhizae which helps plants to develop, fertilizers, and other ‘secret’ ingredients. After planting, a spray drone will cover the area with nutrients such as nitrogen to help the seedlings grow. A mapping drone is later sent out to monitor their progress,” according to Flash Forest’s Kickstarter page. 

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It would only take one drone operator to plant up to 100,000 seed pods per day, according to their website, and with that type of growth rate Flash Forest could provide some serious healing to our dying planet within the next decade. 

According to Bryce Jones, Andrew Lauder, and Joshua Calafato, the three graduate students who created Flash forest, their drone-planting method is ten times faster and 20% cheaper than traditional tree planting/reforestation techniques, which are typically much more labor intensive and time consuming. 

In addition to their goal of 1 billion trees by 2028, Flash Forest really wants to focus their attention and mission on the areas of the planet that have been devastated by the recent wildfires. Australia specifically is currently dealing with one of the most dangerous environmental disasters it’s ever seen; bushfires have engulfed over 27 million acres of land and killed up to 480 million wild animals in the process, and the fires have yet to be controlled.

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 According to the International Panel of Climate Change, we have “10 years to reverse climate change and prevent catastrophic run-away effects on our species and civilization. The amount of carbon dioxide released by humans has been increasing since the pre-industrial era, hitting 34 billion tons in 2018, and is more than can be naturally absorbed.”

Additionally, the Earth loses approximately 13 billion trees every year and regains less than half from conservationist efforts.  This is why Flash Forest believes so heavily in their mission and method. The reason their technology hasn’t been completely picked up and distributed throughout the world is a lack of funding and mainstream popularity; no one really knows about them. However, with the help of their Kickstarter and mission based website, they hope that will change, they also are only a few months old (the company was founded in August 2019). 

So far, they have planted “469 White Spruce, 344 White Pine, around 327 Blue Spruce, 225 Red Maple, 790 White Birch, 621 Sugar Maple, 131 Douglas Fir, and 199 Balsam Fir,” according to their website.

When they first began, they were able to distribute over 2,000 tree seeds, derived from seven different tree species, throughout Southern Ontario, and amongst the other trial areas, Flash Forest has reported the areas of land where the pods were planted are already sprouting.