Some media, people and websites have made things worse by publishing false information. For example, it has been said that there should be more fuel reduction burns, but the conditions for this have often been unsuitable. NSW NP&WS have done 75% of the prescribed burns over the past four years, but longer fire seasons are making it very difficult to find a time for safe burns. Even if all the burns could be done, prescribed burns have very little impact on the speed of fires, especially in elevated fire danger periods. Arson has been cited as a cause of the fires. While there is some arson, most fires have been due to natural causes such as lightning. The issue this season has not been the number of fires, but the hot, dry

and windy conditions that allowed fires to spread quickly and to be difficult to contain, even with huge fire fighting efforts.

The NSW National Parks Association has a good commentary on fires, much of which applies to other jurisdictions.

Bushwalking areas burntThe following is a list of major bushwalking areas that have had bushfires in the last few months. It's subjective; the full list is 18 pages on my word processor. Note that the list does not convey the extent of the bushfires. For example, the Victorian Alpine National Park has fires over 100 or more kilometres of the AAWT. Maps and lists are on the links.

New South WalesA selection of impacted parks, mostly the larger ones. List courtesy of NPA.

VictoriaAlpine NP, Avon Wilderness Park, Croajingolong NP, Errinundra NP, Grampians NP, Mount Buffalo NP, Snowy River NP. These are big areas, with some parks having several fires.

The rest of AustraliaOther parts of Australia have had bushfires, but much smaller than in NSW and Victoria. Tasmanian fires are here. As is the case for all places, the heartbreak, tragedy and loss are significant to those who live there.

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Much of Sydney water comes from the Warragamba Dam. Water levels of around 40% full capacity will not be fixed by the catchment, which is very much burnt. Professor Stuart Khan from UNSW Sydney explains the immediate and long-term effects of bushfires on water quality in this article. It's serious, far more serious than many people envisage. Most people take water for granted – turn on a tap and water comes out. The impact on freshwater systems is bad.

WildlifeWhile the loss of houses, farms, and infrastructure is serious, the loss of wildlife is equally important. One estimate has a billion

animals, birds and living creatures killed by the bushfires.

It's bad for people caught in bushfires or who have to evacuate or breathe air filled with smoke. It is arguably worse for terrified animals who flee before fires, and this time is worse – safe areas are limited. One NSW fire spread from near Tarcutta to Eucumbene Dam, 110 kilometres. In Victoria, the Mount Buffalo fire spread from south-west of Myrtleford to west of Omeo, over 100 kilometres. These fires are very big.

If you want to assist, contact RSPCA, Wildlife Victoria, Animals Australia, WWF, or many other similar entities.

Park management agencies are doing what they can to protect wildlife. Pam O’Brien, Manager, Snowy River Area, Southern Ranges Branch, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service said “While the fires have been devastating in KNP, they could have been worse and we've been able to protect some of the most sensitive bits of the park. We are also looking at feeding pygmy possums, watering Corroboree frogs and relocating rare native fish out damaged streams.”

Further north, the Wollemi Pine was saved.

HutsThe following lists are an indication, and fires could easily move a hut from the left and centre columns to the right column.

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Bushfire impact on carbon emissionsOn 24 December, Time reported that “The unprecedented bushfires devastating swathes of Australia have already pumped out more than half of the country’s annual carbon dioxide emissions in another setback to the fight against climate change.” The bushfires are having a measurable effect on carbon emissions. A Reuters report on 9 January

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said that the fire emisions have nearly reached the 2019 Amazon fire levels. On 21 January Bloomberg said that “The fires sweeping Australia probably have doubled the nation’s annual greenhouse-gas emissions, producing as much climate-damaging pollution as all the airplanes in the world, new research shows.”

Economic costThe economic cost will be very significant, with estimates in the $10-20 billion range. Small towns that have been destroyed may not be rebuilt. With farmland and tourist attractions gone there is no economic base. Rural Australia is at risk. Former residents might well be counted as among our first climate change displaced people.

Due to no or minimal crops, grazing, tourism or even residents, local economies will go south for a while. With no power, fuel cannot be pumped and services such as ATMs and cash registers will not work. If there is no potable water then water needs to be brought in. It will be a long haul back to normality. In time the rebuilding will add to local economies. I read about tradies with no tools who want to assist with the rebuilding.

Tourists are leaving fire and other areas, a $1 billion loss. This will have an effect for some time as our reputation as a desired tourist

destination drops. With so much smoke and fire, it's hard to say where tourists will go.

Health In the past, similar bushfires have led to stress and PTSD. This will happen for the current bushfires. Some people will not be able to cope. Smoke has been a big problem, including outside fire areas. Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne have had air off the scale in pollution. The basic face masks that many people have been wearing are ineffective. A P2 mask or better is necessary. Many shops have sold out.

PoliticsThe political fallout has been harsh for the Morrison government, with a recent poll showing that the leader of the opposition Anthony Albanese is now the preferred prime minister. Many commentators are critical of the government. Funding cuts have been unhelpful.

More preparation for the bushfires could have been made. Australian Science had a report on this:

"The 2017 federal budget has axed funding for the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF), an agency that provides information to decision-makers on how best to manage the risks of climate change and sea level rise."

Blue Mountains bushfire, Gospers Mountain, New South Wales, December 2019Meganesia

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A similar report was in The Conversation:

"The NCCARF received A$50 million in 2008 to coordinate Australia's national research effort into climate adaptation measures. That was reduced in 2014 to just under A$9 million. For 2017-18, a mere A$600,000 will be spread between CSIRO and NCCARF to support existing online platforms only. From 2018, funding is axed entirely.

"This decision follows on from the 2014 streamlining of CSIRO's Climate Adaptation Flagship, and comes at a time when a national review of Australia's climate policies is still underway."

Providing supportThere are many agencies looking after victims. First, a warning. Scammers often use disasters and media reports as hooks to scam people. For example, there's a scam about NBN, with scammers saying that payment needs to be made to stay connected. Similarly, there are reports of scammers posing as charities. I'd avoid people in the street seeking donations for bushfires or any charity. It's easy to fake a charity identification tabard and tin. Beware.

Similarly, make sure that any donation goes to the fire victims. The Liberal Party had an advertisement with a bushfire theme seeking donations. It was not clear that the donations went to the Liberal Party. Some charities have high expenses, what would be called an MER, management expense ratio, in a managed fund. Some MERs are very high, 80-90%, so that only 10-20 cents in the dollar go to the intended people. Look for low MER charities.

Make sure that charities can and will get donations to victims. Some cannot. Donations of over $2.00 are an allowed tax deduction, so get a receipt.

The following are established entities: DHS, Disaster Assist, Salvos, and Red Cross. There are other similar organisations. See also this ABC article.

Climate changeSince the 1970s, Australia has seen longer fire seasons and more severe weather, with people and property also at greater risks. It is

not possible to attribute any specific weather event due to climate change. It seems most likely we are seeing the effects of climate change. This does not mean that next year's fires will be worse then this years. It does mean we are going to see more severe weather related events like this much more frequently then in the past.

Inaction, lies, political ideology, short-term thinking and arguably corruption have led us to this point. I sacrificed a lot to achieve financial security, and those that were critical of me then can now see the wisdom of early sacrifice to achieve a better outcome later. So it is with climate change. The choice is stark. Pay the price now for minimising climate change – and it will be a lot – or pay the price later, and it will be a huge price. One example will suffice. The Greenland ice sheet has enough ice to raise sea levels by about seven metres and the loss of ice is increasing. National Geographic has a report.

"The moment of crisis has come" in efforts to tackle climate change, Sir David Attenborough has warned.

A Cree Indian saying is worth repeating.“Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish been caught, and the last stream poisoned, will we realize we cannot eat money.”

In February 2018 BWA published a poem by Keith McKenry, National Park Lament No. 1, written in the early 1970s. This poem ends:

Now I'm only a boy from the bush near Fitzroy And I don't understand people's games. But I'd still like to know where our children will go When none of the bushland remains.

Right now there's not much bushland in too many places in NSW and Victoria, with smaller losses elsewhere. Burnt areas will be dangerous for months, probably years, due to branches and trees falling. Summer 2020-21 may have similar fires. The 2019-20 bushfires have changed the way bushwalking is conducted in NSW and Victoria for quite some time. Recovery will be slow.

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