Climate change ‘brings fire danger’
Climate change ‘brings firedanger’
15 February 2006
published by www.news.com.au
Australia — Climate change will cause more bushfires in southeast Australia over coming decades, a new study has found.
The CSIRO research found the number of high risk fire days could increase by up to 60 per cent by 2050.
The study assessed fire weather risk using daily temperature, rain, humidity, and wind data over the past 30 years at 17 forest and grassland sites around southeast Australia.
It used two global warming models to predict increases in high risk days for 2020 and 2050.
Victoria’s Acting Environment Minister Candy Broad said the results would assist bush fire preparedness and response planning.
“Even a slight increase in the number of high fire risk days, which turn into bushfires like those we’ve suffered through recently, will dramatically impact upon our fire management resources,” she said.
The study showed more than half of Australia’s fire related deaths, injuries and costs incurred during the study period were in Victoria.
