sr Serbian
sq Albanianen Englishfr Frenchde Germanru Russiansr Serbiantr Turkish

Best Songs

    Best Adriatic Songs

    Australia bushfires: Fresh warnings in Queensland and New South Wales

    Published: 13 November 2019
    No comments
    Categories: Test
    A kookaburra on a burnt tree in fire-hit Wallabi Point, New South Wales

    Image copyright
    ADAM STEVENSON/Reuters

    Australian authorities have warned that massive bushfires raging in two states will continue to pose a threat, despite “catastrophic” conditions easing.

    About 150 fires are still burning in New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland, feeding off tinder-dry conditions.

    Fifty houses were destroyed or damaged in NSW on Tuesday but no lives were lost, officials said. At one point, fires broke out in suburbs of Sydney.

    On Wednesday, blazes caused fresh emergencies in Queensland.

    “The conditions are of concern to us,” Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told reporters.

    The threat in NSW has been downgraded from catastrophic – the highest level – but officials urged residents to remain vigilant.

    “We’ve got the worst of the summer – the worst of the season – still ahead of us as we head into summer,” said NSW Rural Fire Services Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons.

    Australia’s government has often avoided questions on whether climate change could have contributed to the fires, in a response that has drawn criticism.

    What’s happening in Queensland?

    More than 70 bushfires are burning in the state amid forecasts of high temperatures, volatile winds and dry lightning.

    Residents in Noosa North Shore, on the popular Sunshine Coast, were among those to be issued emergency warnings on Wednesday.

    A water-bombing helicopter crashed while fighting a fire at Pechey, west of Brisbane, but the pilot survived with only minor injuries.

    image

    Media playback is unsupported on your device

    Officials warned that no significant rain was expected, putting continuing strain on firefighters.

    What about NSW?

    Mr Fitzsimmons said it was a relief that no-one had died on Tuesday given “the enormity of these fire grounds”. About 1.1 million hectares have been scorched in NSW since September.

    The worst fires dot NSW from its northern border to a national park north of Sydney. Though perimeters constantly shift, most are in populated coastal zones or further inland.

    Since Friday, three people have died and up to 200 homes have been razed.

    Flame retardant had to be dropped in Sydney’s northern suburbs as some bushfires approached within 15km (nine miles) of the city centre.

    A firefighting plane dropped pink fire retardant in the area between Macquarie University and the Sydney Adventist Hospital in the South Turramurra suburb.

    One resident who evacuated, Diksha Anand, told the BBC she had feared losing her house.

    image

    Media playback is unsupported on your device

    Actor Russell Crowe tweeted that his property had been damaged, but he was overseas and his family was safe.

    Mr Fitzsimmons said: “We’ve really got a long way to go. You can guarantee we’re not going to be able to get around all of these fires before the next wave of bad weather.

    “Unfortunately there’s no meaningful reprieve. There’s no rainfall in this change and we’re going to continue to have warm dry conditions dominating in the days and weeks ahead.”

    Police are investigating reports that several fires may have been started deliberately.

    A fireman tackles a bushfire in Taree, New South Wales

    EPA

    What is a ‘catastrophic’ fire warning?

    • .the highest point on Australia’s six-point fire danger scale

    • .results from high temperatures, strong winds and dry ground

    • .fires starting under these conditions will threaten lives

    • .homes cannot be defended from catastrophic fires

    • .the only survival advice is to leave at risk areas early

    Source: Australian government

    Mr Fitzsimmons said 3,000 firefighters were on the front lines, boosted by crews from other states and New Zealand, as well as the Australian Defence Force.

    Is this linked to climate change?

    Scientists and experts warn that Australia’s fire season has grown longer and more intense due to climate change.

    Officials have confirmed that 2018 and 2017 were Australia’s third and fourth-hottest years on record respectively, and last year the nation experienced its warmest summer on record.

    The Bureau of Meteorology’s State of the Climate 2018 report said climate change had led to an increase in extreme heat events and raised the severity of other natural disasters, such as drought.

    Even if global temperatures are contained to a 2C rise above pre-industrial levels – a limit set out in the landmark Paris accord, agreed by 188 nations in 2015 – scientists believe the country is facing a dangerous new normal.

    Last year, a UN report said Australia was falling short in efforts to cut its CO2 emissions.

    The fires have led to disagreements between politicians over whether climate change is to blame.

    Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce suggested that climate activists were partly responsible for the fires by calling for the reduction of so-called back burns, fires purposefully started to clear dry undergrowth.

    Independent lawmaker Zali Steggall called Mr Joyce’s remarks “unbecoming of our parliament”.

    “What we want is a consensus moving forward on how to come up with a plan that adapts Australia to a warming climate,” she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

    Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declined to comment on climate change while the fires rage.

    Have you been affected by the bushfires? Share your experiences by emailing [email protected].

    Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

    0 comments

    Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    • PU: Obavili 622 kontrole i izrekli 494,8 hiljada eura kazni
      on 09/05/2025 at 11:17

      Poreski inspektori su za prva četiri mjeseca realizovali 622 provjere regularnosti poslovanja poreskih obveznika, utvrdili nepravilnosti kod njih 92 i izrekli 494,8 hiljada eura kazni po tom osnovu, saopšteno je iz Poreske uprave (PU).

    • UPCG: Nijesmo za skraćeno radno vrijeme, to bi bio ozbiljan budžetski problem
      on 09/05/2025 at 05:56

      Unija poslodavaca Crne Gore (UPCG) nije za skraćenje radne nedjelje jer smatra da to nije efikasan način za povećanje produktivnosti radne snage, naprotiv - takva mjera bi, prema njihovoj ocjeni, mogla dovesti do smanjenja ukupne produktivnosti, rekli su oni za Portal RTCG.

    • Pad nezaposlenosti u Crnoj Gori
      on 08/05/2025 at 22:15

      U Crnoj Gori je na kraju aprila bilo 29,15 hiljada nezaposlenih, 2,7 odsto manje nego u martu, pokazuju podaci Zavoda za zapošljavanje (ZZZ).

    • Prosječna plata veća u Šavniku nego u Ulcinju
      on 08/05/2025 at 17:40

      Prema najnovijim podacima Monstata, prosječna zarada u opštini Ulcinj iznosi svega 836 eura, što je svrstava među najsiromašnije opštine u Crnoj Gori. To, kažu u Alternativi, Ulcinj definitivno ne zaslužuje sa svim svojim potencijalima.

    • Đeljošaj: Država nije kriva u slučaju "Svetog Stefana", zakupac da otvori hotele
      on 08/05/2025 at 12:04

      Potpredsjednik Vlade za ekonomsku politiku i ministar ekonomskog razvoja Nik Đeljošaj saopštio je na današnjoj konferenciji da su na današnjoj sjednici Vlade Crne Gore usvojena dva programa - Program za unapređene konkuretnosti privrede za 2025 i Program za razvoj i promociju zanatstva za 2025. godinu.

    • Ugovorena izrada idejnog rješenja brze saobraćajnice od Podgorice do Danilovgrada
      on 08/05/2025 at 09:53

      Iz kompanije Monteput saopšteno je da je izabrao kao najpovoljniju zajedničku ponudu kompanija Louis Berger i Decom group, sa podugovaračem Geostandard, na tenderu za izradu idejnog rješenja brze saobraćajnice Podgorica-Danilovgrad.

    • Do 2028. godine Crnoj Gori na raspolaganju do 383,5 miliona eura
      on 08/05/2025 at 07:36

      Potpisivanjem Sporazuma o zajmu sa Evropskom unijom, Vlada Crne Gore je, kroz koordinaciju Ministarstva finansija, napravila ključni korak ka povlačenju prvih sredstava iz Plana rasta Evropske unije, koji donosi rekordnih 383,5 miliona eura za reforme, ekonomski razvoj i jačanje institucija, saopšteno je iz MF.

    • U pripremi tehnički rebalans budžeta za ovu godinu
      on 08/05/2025 at 07:21

      Ministarstvo finansija počelo je pripreme za izmjene Zakona o budžetu za ovu godinu, koje se, prema dobijenim informacijama iz tog resora, dominantno odnose na tehničke korekcije u skladu sa novom organizacijom državne uprave i unapređenjem kapitalnog budžeta.

    • Cijene zemljišta rastu, ne zna se ko sve kupuje
      on 08/05/2025 at 05:39

      Cijene zemljišta na Jelovici u konstantnom su porastu od kada je napravljen put od Berana preko te planine do Kolašina, i trenutno dostižu i trinaest hiljada eura za jedan ar, mada se ne zna ko su najveći novi vlasnici.

    • Crna Gora ima izuzetan razvojni potencijal
      on 07/05/2025 at 19:54

      Crna Gora posjeduje izuzetan razvojni potencijal, naročito u kontekstu regionalne integracije i povezivanja, ocijenila je američka ambasadorka u Podgorici, Judy Rising Reinke i dodala da je važno da država bude prepoznata i integrisana u evropske saobraćajne i infrastrukturne tokove.