Firefighters and Climate Experts Warn of another Hot Dry Summer.

By Abdul Basit Issaka The Climate Council says the devastating impacts of bushfires are set to continue unless governments step up efforts to tackle rising heat waves. Jessica Craven, a spokesperson for the Climate Council, said current reports show that this year is going to be one of the warmest in recent history. She said the rise in climatic change is driving heat waves which will impact on bushfires in the coming season. Ms Craven said as the heat waves get larger, the weather gets hotter affecting the environment and the health of many people. “Australia is at the frontline of climate change,” she said. She said the pledge by the federal government to reduce carbon emissions by 26 to 28 percent by 2030 on Australia’s 2005 level is very low. Tony Papafilis, Chief Executive of the WA Bush Fire Brigades, said the threat of bushfires on communities is real. He said the number of bushfires that occur every year is higher than is reported in the media. Mr Papafilis said the media only usually covers the big fires. He said bushfires are as a result of hot and dry climate that creates the enabling conditions. Mr Papafilis said there are more than 25,000 volunteer fire brigades’ personnel doing a magnificent job in helping to tackle most of these fires at the community level. He said residents must take precautionary measures as the bushfire season approaches. A fire protection zone should be created around houses to safeguard them from fire. According to Climate Council reports, the hot and dry conditions over past years have contributed to the devastating fires experienced recently in Australia. A Council report states that tackling climate change is becoming more urgent and urges diversification from coal-fired power to renewable energy.