<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/australias-climate-hit-regions-will-need-fit-for-future-science-and-modelling/>
"It won’t come as much consolation to Victorian communities picking through the
burnt rubble from last week’s bushfires to know the damage could have been a
lot worse.
At 400,000 hectares and about 240 homes lost and one farmer’s life, the scale
of the devastation is certainly not to be played down.
The meteorology had forecasters and fire agencies on edge, as it recalled some
of the worst fire weather in years past, such as Black Saturday in 2009 or Ash
Wednesday in 1983. The latter blazes killed 47 people and destroyed more than
2000 homes in Victoria alone.
This time around, the landscape was not as parched by multi-year severe
droughts. The winds last Friday also arrived a bit later than expected. Better
communications, fire-fighting equipment and training no doubt helped.
Losses, though, might have been much more severe had the lightning strikes and
other ignition points occurred in more-populated regions close to Melbourne,
such as the Dandenong and Macedon ranges or Mornington Peninsula.
Key infrastructure, such as interstate power lines, also emerged largely
unscathed, avoiding economic disruptions that would have extended well beyond
the fire zones.
Of course, families and businesses busy assessing and cleaning up the damage
have enough to get on with. Considering how bad things might have been and how
climate change is making such conflagrations more likely are burdens that don’t
belong to them.
Governments, however, have a duty to confront the facts and help us prepare for
the future – including immediate risks of more heatwaves, fires, cyclones and
floods this summer."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
