Opinion: The legacy media are politicising the Australian bush fires

The British mainstream media (MSM) have run with the narrative that the Australian bush fires are a result of ‘climate change’. Is this true or is it an MSM concocted narrative? This is a complex and multi-faceted question. Australia is familiar with bushfires, bushfire management and the importance of fires in regenerating the land.  The indigenous people who have lived on the land for tens of thousands of years have long known the importance of fire management and how it contributes to the health of ecosystems. Bushfires are a well-understood threat, but the fires now burning in the nation have been described as “unprecedented” on Australian news networks.  

Fires can obviously start in many different ways and they are they’re fuelled by many other amount factors. A lack of rain and low soil moisture can help enable small fires to grow in size coupled with the high temperatures and fierce winds that Australia often experiences, these small fires can become huge infernos. The bushfire risk is well known by Australian firefighting bosses and they had reportedly been trying to meet with Scott Morrison, the Australian prime minister but they were constantly rebuffed.  

However, it is simply a myth that greenhouse gases can start fires on its own. Bushfires are not by climate change. However, it is possible that these fires are exacerbated by the effects of global warming such as droughts, drier fuels and soils and record-breaking heat. The link between bushfires and climate change is a hot topic in Australia in particular.  Australia did experience its hottest year on record in 2019, climbing 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than the average. The bush fires are undoubtedly a serious concern, but some will be extremely concerned with the attempt to politicise fires that have been occurring for over 2 decades.