World feels the heat of climate change

Australian bush fires just one of past year's disasters

Deadly bush fires raging in Australia have left cities, towns and vast areas of the countryside shrouded in dense smoke and made headlines around the world.

The fatalities include a volunteer firefighter battling a blaze in New South Wales on Dec 30. In that state, more than 900 homes have been destroyed, a number that is expected to rise.

Late last month, images of a dehydrated koala approaching a cyclist－in temperatures of 40 C－begging for water in the middle of a road near Adelaide, South Australia, went viral.

In New South Wales, it is estimated that 8,000 koalas, or about one-third of the number in the state, have died in the fires.

According to ecologists from the University of Sydney, some 480 million mammals, birds and reptiles have been killed directly or indirectly by the bush fires, according to the website Sydney News& Life.

A statement issued by 22 health and medical organizations declared the levels of air pollution caused by the fires a "public health emergency".

More emergency warnings were issued on Dec 30. Some 40,000 vacationers were urged to evacuate East Gippsland, a tourist resort in the state of Victoria in the southeastern part of the country. Many people who ignored the advice have been told it's too late now and that they should take shelter.

All six Australian states and the Northern Territory reported temperatures higher than 40 C on Dec 30. In New South Wales, there were close to 100 bushfires that day as lightning strikes in dry forests sparked new blazes.