School of Population Health, University of New South Wales, High Street, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia; and Centre for Air pollution, energy and health Research (CAR), 431 Glebe Point Road, Glebe, NSW 2037, Australia; and Corresponding author. Email:
Centre for Air pollution, energy and health Research (CAR), 431 Glebe Point Road, Glebe, NSW 2037, Australia; and Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia. Email:
Aust Health Rev. 2021 Feb;45(1):4-6. doi: 10.1071/AHv45n1_ED3.
A warming climate is increasing the duration of fire seasons and the risk of more extensive and intense bushfires. The Black Summer bushfires that occurred in Australia from September 2019 to early February 2020 were unprecedented in their scale and intensity. The fires led to loss of lives and homes, and widespread destruction of flora, fauna and ecosystems. Dense smoke from these catastrophic fires blanketed major cities and towns for weeks. A Commonwealth Royal Commission and two state inquiries provided recommendations for reducing the risk of future bushfires and for better disaster management processes to support the preparedness, relief, response and recovery to such megafires. While strategies to reduce the risk of bushfires and the damage to our biota and ecosystems are necessary and important, there is also an urgent need for mitigation strategies to reduce or prevent emission of greenhouse gases. If we are to minimise the planetary effects of a warming climate, we need to limit global warming to well below 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels and to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. This requires transformative thinking and action by our political leaders that builds on the Australian public and industry's willingness to play their part.
气候变暖正在延长火灾季节的持续时间，并增加了发生范围更广、强度更大的丛林火灾的风险。2019 年 9 月至 2020 年 2 月初发生在澳大利亚的“黑色夏季”丛林大火，其规模和强度前所未有。大火导致生命和家园丧失，以及动植物群和生态系统的广泛破坏。这些灾难性大火产生的浓烟在主要城市和城镇上空持续数周。联邦皇家委员会和两个州的调查为降低未来丛林火灾风险以及更好的灾害管理流程提供了建议，以支持对这种特大火灾的备灾、救援、响应和恢复。虽然减少丛林火灾风险和我们的生物多样性及生态系统破坏的策略是必要且重要的，但也迫切需要采取缓解策略来减少或防止温室气体排放。如果我们要将气候变暖对地球的影响降到最低，我们需要将全球变暖限制在远低于工业化前水平的 2°C 以内，并在 2050 年前实现净零碳排放。这需要我们的政治领导人采取变革性的思维和行动，这建立在澳大利亚公众和行业愿意发挥作用的基础上。
