INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The fires have driven thousands of people out of their homesAt least three people are dead and thousands have been displaced by a weekend
of bushfires in Australia.On Sunday, the fire emergency's third day, more than 100 blazes were still burning across New South Wales (NSW)
and Queensland.Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the military could be called upon to support the 1,300 firefighters working in the two
states.Hundreds of civilians have also volunteered to help in affected areas."My only thoughts today are with those who have lost their
lives and their families," Mr Morrison added.Officials warn that extreme weather conditions could fuel more fires in the week, including
near Sydney.In Queensland, thousands of people spent the night in evacuation centres while officials assessed whether it was safe for them
to return home.Fire officials in NSW have confirmed that more than 150 homes have been destroyed.Although cooler weather on Saturday night
provided some reprieve, it is feared that high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds forecast from the middle of the week will fuel
further fires that officials will be unable to contain.Officials say they are likely to issue extreme fire warnings for large swathes of the
NSW coast on Tuesday, with areas around Sydney thought to be particularly at risk."Under these conditions, these fires will spread quickly
and threaten homes and lives," NSW Rural Fire Service said in a statement."These conditions will be as bad, if not worse, than those
experienced on Friday as they will be across a much broader area including large population centres like Sydney."While clearing affected
areas on Friday, fire crews discovered the body of one victim in a burned out car near Glen Innes, about 550km (340 miles) north of
Sydney.In the same town on the same day, a woman was found suffering from severe burns
She was rushed to hospital but died shortly afterwards.Carol Sparks, the mayor of Glen Innes, said on Sunday that the town's residents
were traumatised."The fire was as high as 20 foot [6m] and raging with 80 kilometres per hour [50 mph] winds," she told Australian
"It was absolutely horrific for the people that were impacted."About 1,000 firefighters have been tackling the blazes across New South
WalesWater-bombing helicopters have been deployed to the site of the fires On Saturday, NSW police confirmed that a third person had died
after a body was found in a burnt-out home near Taree, a town about 300km north of Sydney
Police said the home belonged to a woman aged 63, but that they wouldn't be able to confirm their identity until a post-mortem had been
carried out.In NSW, the worst-hit state, crews have fought hundreds of fires since last month, when two people died while trying to protect
their home.Earlier this month, a blaze burned though 2,000 hectares of bush which contained a koala sanctuary
Hundreds of the animals were feared to have died.Rains lashed NSW earlier this week, providing much relief to farmers
But the storms were not nearly enough to end the long-running drought.Authorities in the state warn that many fires will continue to burn
unless there is more rain."We just cannot overstate the profound impact that the drought is having on fire behaviour," Mr Fitzsimmons
said.Living with the strain of a devastating droughtWater-bombing aircraft are often flying long distances because of the difficulty of
accessing water in dry areas
In some cases authorities have drilled bores to keep up with demand."We've very mindful of the scarcity of water and how precious it is, but
the reality is we can't do firefighting without water," Mr Fitzsimmons said.Australia's fire season risks growing longer and more intense
due to climate change, according to scientists.Authorities said they were concerned about the severity of the fires ahead of its hottest
months, a year after the nation experienced its warmest summer on record.Officials have confirmed that 2018 and 2017 were Australia's
third and fourth-hottest years on record respectively.The bureau's State of the Climate 2018 report said climate change had led to an
increase in extreme heat events and increased the severity of other natural disasters, such as drought.Even if global temperatures are
contained to a 2C rise above pre-industrial levels - a limit set out in the landmark Paris accord, agreed by 188 nations in 2015 -
scientists believe the country is facing a dangerous new normal.Last year, a UN report said Australia was falling short in efforts to cut
its CO2 emissions.Australian spring bushfires 'an omen' for summer seasonore than 100 bushfires across two Australian states are raging in
hot and windy conditions that officials warn are unprecedented this early in spring.In Queensland more than 50 fires were burning on Sunday
Forecasters say there is no sign of an end to strong winds that have fanned the flames.One blaze in neighbouring New South Wales has burned
more than 56,000 hectares (138,000 acres).An official said the conditions were an "omen" for what may come in the summer."We've never seen
this before in recorded history, fire weather has never been as severe this early in spring," said Andrew Sturgess, an inspector with Fire
crews are battling to save people's homes in rural parts of QueenslandA historic lodge in Queensland's Lamington National Park was badly
damaged early on Sunday by an out-of-control bushfire.Local Mayor Greg Christensen said damage to the Binna Burra Lodge, built in the 1930s,
was "quite extreme".The east coast of Australia has endured two years of below average rainfall creating drought conditions in some
areas.Climate change: ‘Clear and unequivocal& emergency, say scientistsBy Matt McGrathEnvironment correspondent6 November 2019
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changeImage copyrightAFPA global group of around 11,000 scientists have endorsed research that says the world is facing a climate
emergency.
The study, based on 40 years of data on a range of measures, says governments are failing to address the crisis.
Without deep
and lasting changes, the world is facing "untold human suffering" the study says.
The researchers say they have a moral obligation to warn
of the scale of the threat.
'Regret' as US begins exit from UN climate accordQuit 'coal addiction', UN boss warns AsiaClimate change
'making mountaineering riskier'Released on the day that satellite data shows that last month was the warmest October on record, the new
study says that simply measuring global surface temperatures is an inadequate way of capturing the real dangers of an overheating world.
So
the authors include a range of data which they believe represents a "suite of graphical vital signs of climate change over the past 40
years".
These indicators include the growth of human and animal populations, per capita meat production, global tree cover loss, as well as
fossil fuel consumption.
Image copyrightCOPERNICUSImage captionOctober was the warmest such month on record according to new dataSome
progress has been seen in some areas
For example, renewable energy has grown significantly, with consumption of wind and solar increasing 373% per decade - but it was still 28
times smaller than fossil fuel use in 2018.
Taken together, the researchers say most of their vital signs indicators are going in the wrong
direction and add up to a climate emergency.
"An emergency means that if we do not act or respond to the impacts of climate change by
reducing our carbon emissions, reducing our livestock production, reducing our land clearing and fossil fuel consumption, the impacts will
likely be more severe than we've experienced to date," said lead author Dr Thomas Newsome, from the University of Sydney.
"That could mean
there are areas on Earth that are not inhabitable by people."
How does this differ from other reports on climate change?The study echoes
many of the warnings that have been reported by scientists including the IPCC
The authors set out to present a clear and simple graphical picture of a broader ranger of indicators that can drive home to the public and
to governments that the threat is serious while the response has been poor.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionTree loss needs to stop
if countries are serious about climate changeWhere it differs is in showing that while things might be bad, they are not hopeless
The researchers show six areas in which immediate steps should be taken that could make a major difference.
These are:
Energy: Politicians
should impose carbon fees high enough to discourage the use of fossil fuels, they should end subsidies to fossil fuel companies and
implement massive conservation practices while also replacing oil and gas with renewables.Short-lived pollutants: These include methane,
hydrofluorocarbons and soot - the researchers say that limiting these has the potential to cut the short-term warming trend by 50% over the
next few decades.Nature: Stop land clearing, restore forests, grasslands and mangroves which would all help to sequester CO2.Food: A big
dietary shift is needed say researchers so that people eat mostly plants and consumer fewer animal products
Reducing food waste is also seen as critical.Economy: Convert the economy's reliance on carbon fuels - and change away from growing the
world's gross domestic product and pursuing affluence.Population: The world needs to stabilise the global population which is growing by
around 200,000 a day.
So who are the scientists who have endorsed the report?Some 11,000 researchers of all types and varieties from 153
countries have endorsed the researchThe authors say they didn't target individuals so there is a marked lack of some of the bigger names in
climate change research.All the details of who's signed the endorsement have been published online."We have rising emissions, rising
temperatures, and we've known this for 40 years and we haven't acted - you don't need to be a rocket scientist to know we have a a problem,"
said Dr Newsome.
What do the authors want to happen now?The researchers are fed up because multiple climate conferences and assemblies have
failed to produce meaningful action
However they believe that the growing, global protest movement offers hope."We are encouraged by a recent global surge of concern -
governments adopting new policies; schoolchildren striking; lawsuits proceeding; and grassroots citizen movements demanding change."As
scientists, we urge widespread use of the vital signs and hope the graphical indicators will better allow policymakers and the public to
understand the magnitude of the crisis, realign priorities and track progress."So what about human population growth?The idea of trying to
influence human population growth is highly controversial and has been deemed too hot to handle by UN negotiators
The authors say that looking the other way is no longer an option.Human population growth needs to be addressed, say the authorsIt is
certainly a controversial topic - but I think that population should be talked about when considering human impacts on the Earth," said Dr
Newsome."It's important when presenting these results to look at some positives, and one of the more positive things that we've pulled out
