Scientists are reluctant to link individual weather events to global warming, because natural variability will always throw up extreme events. However, they say that climate change loads the dice, and can make severe episodes more likely.
Some studies have started to say how much global warming contributed to severe weather. Experts at the UK Met Office and Oxford University used computer models to say man-made climate change made the killer European heatwave in 2003 about twice as likely. In principle, the technique could be repeated with any extreme storm, drought or flood - which could pave the way for lawsuits from those affected.
Bob Brown, a senator who leads the Australian Greens, said the bushfires showed what climate change could mean for Australia.
"Global warming is predicted to make this sort of event happen 25%, 50% more," he told Sky News. "It's a sobering reminder of the need for this nation and the whole world to act and put at a priority our need to tackle climate change."
Models suggest global warming could bring temperature rises as high as 6C for Australia this century, if global emissions continue unabated, with rainfall decreasing in the southern states and increasing further north. As if to demonstrate that, Queensland, in the north, is currently experiencing widespread flooding after rainfall of historic proportions.
More than 60% of Queensland has been declared a disaster zone in the worst floods for more than 30 years. Some 3,000 homes have been affected, and the main highway between Cairns and Townsville has been cut off.
Roger Stone, a climate expert at the University of Southern Queensland, said: "It certainly fits the climate change models, but I have to add the proviso that it's very difficult, even with extreme conditions like this, to always attribute it to climate change."
The fires and floods come as politicians gear up to negotiate a new global deal to combat climate change, to replace the Kyoto protocol. Australia plans a comprehensive carbon trading scheme, but green campaigners last year accused Kevin Rudd's government of a "betrayal" when it pledged to reduce emissions by a modest 5-15% by 2020.
Professor Mark Adams, from the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre, said the extreme weather conditions that led to the bushfires are likely to occur more often.
"The weather and climatic conditions recently don't augur well for the future. Bushfires are an important and going to be ever-present part of the landscape," he said.
Australia is in the grip of the worst drought in a century, which has stretched for more than seven years in some areas and has forced restrictions on water use in the country's big cities.
A government-commissioned report on climate change last year warned that exceptionally hot years, which used to occur once every 22 years, would occur every one or two years, virtually making drought a permanent part of the Australian environment.
Nope
Yes bush fires to affect the ozone layer, in a negative way. Combustion of organic material can release chloromethane. 15% of the chlorine-containing compounds in the stratosphere (where the ozone layer is) are chloromethane, not all of which are sourced by burning organic matter. This gas is estimated to produce about 17% of the depletion due to chlorine-containing compounds.
"Bushfire" is the term used for a forest fire or wildfire in Australia. They are also called bushfires in New Zealand.
becuase house fires are mostly artificial fire but plasma is a natural fire. and bushfires are a natural source of fire
About 3000 brush fires per year are started by lightning strikes.
No, it may be too hot. Outdoor fires may be banned because of the risk of wild fires and bush fires. Coastal areas may be flooded.
Nope
The hydrosphere refers to all bodies of water on the Earth's surface. Bush fires affect stream and river water quality. An erosion, which results from a bush fire can increase the turbidity of the water, which will negatively affect aquatic life.
Well in my environment; here in the Caribbean, we're seeing alot more Sahara dust, bush fires on our Northern Mountain Range, and are currently going through a drought.
No more than the rest of us.
Nothing. The Bush administration ignored the scientific fact of global warming.
Bushfires are a common natural disaster in Australia.
Australia is suffering increased temperatures and summer bush fires. The Great Barrier Reef is bleaching with the acidification of the ocean. Farmers suffer from droughts in some places and floods in there. Australia is contributing to the problem of global warming in many ways. Per capita, Australians have one of the highest carbon footprint in the world. They had a carbon tax which successfully slowed carbon dioxide emissions, but a change of government repealed the carbon tax, removed incentives promoting renewable energy, and refused to appoint a Minister of Science.
because he wont be in our lives any more and .we wont have global warming
Nothing it looks as if he doesn't even care!!!A:President Bush has enacted emissions controls on US industry that have cut our carbon dioxide emissions.
fire fighters put out bush fires.
Yes bush fires to affect the ozone layer, in a negative way. Combustion of organic material can release chloromethane. 15% of the chlorine-containing compounds in the stratosphere (where the ozone layer is) are chloromethane, not all of which are sourced by burning organic matter. This gas is estimated to produce about 17% of the depletion due to chlorine-containing compounds.