Thread by @UCSUSA

The scientific evidence connecting climate change to this year’s fires is straightforward. #AustralianBushfiresDisaster reuters.com/article/us-cli…

#Bushfires are a natural part of the Australian landscape, but according to @BOM_au “there has been a long-term increase in extreme fire weather, and in the length of the fire season, across large parts of Australia”.

The “fire weather” – hot, dry, windy conditions that bolster fires – the country is experiencing this season is especially intense.

2019 was the country’s hottest & driest year on record & extreme heat has dominated the fire season, drying vegetation and ratcheting up fire risk.

Australia’s situation is part of a larger global trend of accelerated warming: 2019 was the second hottest year on record, capping off the planet’s hottest decade. The six hottest years on record are the last six.

Is arson to blame for the catastrophic fires this season? No. While arsonists have started fires, particularly in past years, and police have charged 24 people with arson so far in New South Wales, officials blame lightning for igniting this season’s destructive blazes.

The ability of these #AustraliaFires to grow to such size and persist for so long is due to hotter and drier conditions driven by climate change.

Then why is this argument popping up? Evidence points to an orchestrated campaign to dilute Australians’ growing concern about #ClimateChange. Exaggerating the role of arson distracts, confuses, and pushes the narrative away from climate action. nbcnews.com/science/enviro…

While Australia is not currently facing an arson crisis, this year and for the foreseeable future, it is undoubtedly facing a climate crisis. It's past time we #ActOnClimate!