Far-left climate alarmist Greta Thunberg urged political leaders on Sunday to connect the fires that are raging in Australia to “the climate crisis,” while ignoring the fact that the overwhelming majority of Australia’s fires are man-made, many of which are intentional acts of arson.
Thunberg made the remarks in a retweet of a video from a local Australian news outlet, writing: “Not even catastrophes like these seem to bring any political action. How is this possible? Because we still fail to make the connection between the climate crisis and increased extreme weather events and nature disasters like the #AustraliaFires That’s what has to change. Now.”
Not even catastrophes like these seem to bring any political action. How is this possible?
Because we still fail to make the connection between the climate crisis and increased extreme weather events and nature disasters like the #AustraliaFires
That's what has to change.
Now. https://t.co/DQcZViKJQz— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) December 22, 2019
Thunberg’s tweet takes aim at the wild fires that have raged across the continent over the past few months, many of which investigators allege have been started by people, both intentionally and on accident.
In Australia, those responsible for starting fires, especially if done so in a deliberate act, are often referred to as “firebugs.”
“As firefighters remained on high alert, police revealed 103 of the destructive fires that had lashed Queensland since September were deliberately lit,” The Brisbane Times reported. “Figures obtained by AAP revealed police had dealt with 98 people – 31 adults and 67 juveniles – for deliberately setting fires.”
“More than 120 fires are still being investigated and more people could be charged,” The Brisbane Times added. “The firebug revelations come as fire crews continue to face challenging conditions as a strong upper ridge sweeping across the south-east combines with fresh east northeasterly winds on Friday.”
Several years ago, the BBC noted that “firebugs” are “arsonists who set alight bushfires, and who often strike on days when soaring temperatures and high winds combine to create the most hazardous conditions.”
On Twitter, some pushed back on Thunberg’s assertion that “the climate crisis” was to blame for the wild fires in Australia.
Sorry, Greta, but fires are *not* evidence that trace CO2 causes fires.
"Arson, mischief and recklessness: 87 per cent of fires are man-made"; fire has been in a long-term *decline* globally. https://t.co/Pg0T8nsWbz #ClimateTwitter pic.twitter.com/ilhA6LaAWn
— Tom Nelson (@tan123) December 22, 2019
The Sydney Morning Herald reported last month:
There are, on average, 62,000 fires in Australia every year. Only a very small number strike far from populated areas and satellite studies tell us that lightning is responsible for only 13 per cent. Not so the current fires threatening to engulf Queensland and NSW. There were no lightning strikes on most of the days when the fires first started in September. Although there have been since, these fires – joining up to create a new form of mega-fire – are almost all man-made.
A 2015 satellite analysis of 113,000 fires from 1997-2009 confirmed what we had known for some time – 40 per cent of fires are deliberately lit, another 47 per cent accidental. This generally matches previous data published a decade earlier that about half of all fires were suspected or deliberate arson, and 37 per cent accidental. Combined, they reach the same conclusion: 87 per cent are man-made. …
Seasonal changes, in part due to climate change on top of natural oscillations causing the drought and westerly winds, have some origins in man-made emissions. More directly, however, the source of ignition is human.
Make no mistake, the current weather conditions in Australia are causing the fires to spread and are making them harder to combat, as December is one of Australia’s hotter summer months, but that does not mean that climate change is necessarily responsible for igniting all of the fires.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said climate change was “one of many factors” that was contributing to what was going on, saying, “I have always acknowledged the connection between these weather events and these broader fire events and the impact globally of climate change. But I’m sure people equally would acknowledge that the direct connection to any single fire event, it’s not a credible suggestion to make that link.”
Some news publications have reported that climate change was a “major factor” in the fires, but did not elaborate or give any evidence to back their claims.
Based on preliminary analysis, yesterday, Australia recorded its hottest day on record. The nationally-averaged maximum daytime temp was 41.9 °C exceeding the record set on Tuesday, 40.9 ºC. You can view the top ten highest daily maximum temps here: https://t.co/Cdqm9vD1cI pic.twitter.com/DRDK9LAvrg
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) December 19, 2019
In September, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released data that showed that forest fires are not becoming more prevalent, in fact, they are on a decline across the globe.
“Any reader of the New York Times and other mainstream media outlet would be forgiven for believing that fires globally are on the rise, but they aren’t,” Forbes reported. “In reality, there was a whopping 25 percent decrease in the area burned from 2003 to 2019, according to NASA.”
“For the last 35 years, the world has been re-foresting, meaning new tree growth has exceeded deforestation,” Forbes continued. “The area of the Earth covered with forest has increased by an area the size of Texas and Alaska combined.”