Placeholder Content Image

Our planet is burning in unexpected ways - here’s how we can protect people and nature

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/luke-kelly-159658">Luke Kelly</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-bowman-4397">David Bowman</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-tasmania-888">University of Tasmania</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ella-plumanns-pouton-1470045">Ella Plumanns Pouton</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/grant-williamson-109967">Grant Williamson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-tasmania-888">University of Tasmania</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-shawn-fletcher-99786">Michael-Shawn Fletcher</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em></p> <p>People have been using fire for millennia. It is a vital part of many ecosystems and cultures. Yet human activities in the current era, sometimes called the “<a href="https://theconversation.com/did-the-anthropocene-start-in-1950-or-much-earlier-heres-why-debate-over-our-world-changing-impact-matters-209869">Anthropocene</a>”, are reshaping patterns of fire across the planet.</p> <p><a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-environ-120220-055357">In our new research</a>, published in the Annual Review of Environment and Resources, we used satellite data to create global maps of where and how fires are burning. We calculated about 3.98 million square kilometres of Earth’s land surface burns each year. We also examined research spanning archaeology, climatology, ecology, Indigenous knowledge and paleoecology, to better understand the causes and consequences of fires.</p> <p>Our international team found strong evidence fires are burning in unexpected places, at unusual times and in rarely observed ways. These changes in fire patterns are threatening human lives and modifying ecosystems.</p> <p>But the future does not have to be bleak. There are many opportunities to apply knowledge and practice of fire to benefit people and nature.</p> <h2>Here’s how fire patterns are changing</h2> <p>Exploring multiple approaches and scales enables a deeper understanding of where, when and how fires burn.</p> <p>Satellite data provide evidence of changes in fire patterns at a global scale. <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2020RG000726">Annual fire season length</a> increased by 14 days from 1979 to 2020 and <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04325-1">night fires</a>, which indicate fires that cannot be quickly controlled, increased in intensity by 7.2% from 2003 to 2020.</p> <p>Other changes are apparent only when we look at data from particular regions. An increase in fire size and the frequency of large fires has recently been observed in <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2103135118">forests and woodlands of the western United States</a>. Meanwhile fire-dependent grasslands and savannahs across <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcb.14711">Africa</a> and <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2019GL082327">Brazil</a> have experienced reductions in fire frequency.</p> <p>It’s also important to consider the timescale and type of fire when interpreting changes. In Australia, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-27225-4">satellite records show</a> the frequency of very large forest fires has increased over the past four decades. At longer time scales, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13280-020-01339-3">charcoal and pollen records</a> indicate the frequency of low-intensity fires <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/fee.2395">decreased in parts of southeastern Australia</a> following British colonisation in 1788.</p> <h2>Changes in fire affect air, land and water</h2> <p>Many animals and plants have evolved strategies that enable them to thrive under particular fire patterns. This means changes to fire characteristics can <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abb0355">harm populations and ecosystems</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/conl.12905">Large and intense fires</a> are reducing the available forest habitat preferred by the greater glider. But a <a href="https://theconversation.com/research-reveals-fire-is-pushing-88-of-australias-threatened-land-mammals-closer-to-extinction-185965">lack of fire can be problematic too</a>. Threatened species of native rodents can benefit from food resources and habitats that flourish shortly after fire.</p> <p>There is evidence that emissions from recent fires are already modifying the atmosphere. The historically exceptional 2019–20 Australian wildfires produced <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abe1415#:%7E:text=Intense%2C%20widespread%20bushfires%20in%20Australia,from%20a%20moderate%20volcanic%20eruption.">record-breaking levels of aerosols</a> over the Southern Hemisphere, as well as substantial carbon emissions.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-00610-5">wildfire smoke-related health costs</a> of the 2019–20 wildfires in Australia included an estimated 429 smoke-related premature deaths as well as 3,230 hospital admissions for cardiovascular and respiratory disorders.</p> <p>Changes in fire patterns are modifying water cycles, too. In the western United States, <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2009717118">fires are reaching higher elevations</a> and having strong impacts on <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2200333119">snow</a> and water availability.</p> <p>New studies are revealing how the air, land and water that support life on Earth are connected by fires. Smoke plumes from the 2019–20 Australian wildfires transported nutrients to the Southern Ocean, resulting in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03805-8">widespread phytoplankton blooms</a>.</p> <h2>Humans are responsible for the changes</h2> <p>Human drivers such as climate change, land use, fire use and suppression, and transportation and extinction of species <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-environ-120220-055357">are causing shifts in fire patterns</a>.</p> <p>Increasing global temperatures and more frequent heatwaves and droughts increase the likelihood of fire by promoting hot, dry and windy conditions. A pattern of extreme fire weather outside of natural climate variation is already emerging in <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.15388">North America</a>, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-014-1183-3">southern Europe</a> and <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac1e3a/meta">the Amazon basin</a>.</p> <p>Humans modify fire regimes by changing land use for agricultural, forestry and urban purposes. Until recent decades, large fires in tropical forests were uncommon. But <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03876-7">deforestation fires</a> used to clear primary forest for agriculture often promotes more frequent and intense uncontrolled fires.</p> <p>Humans have transported plants and animals across the globe, resulting in novel mixes of species that modify fuels and fire regimes. In many parts of the world, <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1908253116">invasive grasses</a> have increased flammability and fire activity.</p> <p>Social and economic changes propel these drivers. Colonisation by Europeans and the displacement of Indigenous peoples and their skilful use of fire has been linked with fire changes in <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/fee.2395">Australia</a>, <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2116264119">North America</a> and <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2015.0174">South America</a>.</p> <h2>Using knowledge and practice of fire to achieve sustainability goals</h2> <p><a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-environ-120220-055357">The pace and scale of these changes</a> represent challenges to humanity, but knowledge and practice of fire can help to achieve sustainability goals.</p> <p>This includes:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2015.0174">good health and wellbeing</a>, by supporting community-owned solutions and fire practices that increase social cohesion and health</li> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479718314658">sustainable cities and communities</a>, by designing green firebreaks and mixed-use areas with low fuels, strategically located in the landscape</li> <li><a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aam7672">life on land</a>, by tailoring use of fire to promote and restore species and ecosystems</li> <li><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-021-00867-1">climate action</a>, by applying low-intensity fire to promote the stability of soil organic matter and increase carbon storage</li> <li><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/8/3921">reduced inequalities</a>, by allocating resources before, during, and after wildfires to at-risk communities and residents.</li> </ul> <p>As the world changes, society as a whole needs to keep learning about the interplay between people and fire.</p> <p>A deep understanding of fire is essential for achieving a sustainable future – in other words, <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-environ-120220-055357">a better Anthropocene</a>.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213215/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/luke-kelly-159658"><em>Luke Kelly</em></a><em>, Associate Professor in Quantitative Ecology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-bowman-4397">David Bowman</a>, Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-tasmania-888">University of Tasmania</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ella-plumanns-pouton-1470045">Ella Plumanns Pouton</a>, PhD candidate, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/grant-williamson-109967">Grant Williamson</a>, Research Fellow in Environmental Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-tasmania-888">University of Tasmania</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-shawn-fletcher-99786">Michael-Shawn Fletcher</a>, Professor in Biogeography, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/our-planet-is-burning-in-unexpected-ways-heres-how-we-can-protect-people-and-nature-213215">original article</a>.</em></p>

Travel Trouble

Placeholder Content Image

"A night in hospital and a trip to the burns unit later”: Concerned mum's warning against popular fruit

<p><em><strong>Warning: This article contains images that some readers may find distressing.</strong></em></p> <p>A mother has taken to the internet and shared photos of her son’s severe burns that came as a result of him playing with a popular fruit. “A night in hospital and a trip to the burns unit later.” She began in her Facebook post.</p> <p>Her son Otis was playing happily outside with a lime in the sunshine, but the next day horror ensued.</p> <p>“It wasn’t until the next day that we noticed a rash appeared.” The mother said.</p> <p>The parents had assumed the rash must’ve been an allergic reaction to the lime juice, however, the rash quickly developed into a “horrific burn,” she added.</p> <p>The parents took Otis to the hospital where they were informed their son was suffering from a condition called phytophotodermatitis.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cku5QH2thxE/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cku5QH2thxE/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Tiny Hearts (@tinyheartseducation)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Phytophotodermatitis, more commonly known as margarita burn, is a little-known condition which causes burns to the skin when a chemical called furocoumarin reacts to sunlight.</p> <p>The chemical is found in limes, citrus fruit and some plants.</p> <p>“The small lime he had been innocently playing with - had now burnt his skin horrifically!“ The mum said. “If our story can help raise awareness into phytophotodermatitis at least something good has come out of our horrific experience!”</p> <p>The woman has urged parents to be on the lookout for this little-known skin condition.</p> <p>To minimise the risks of phytophotodermatitis, <a href="https://www.healthline.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Healthline</a> suggests washing hands and other exposed parts of the skin immediately after being outdoors, wearing gloves when gardening, putting on sunscreen before going outdoors and wearing long-sleeved tops and pants in wooded areas.</p> <p><em>Photo credit: Getty</em></p>

Body

Placeholder Content Image

Wild moment captured as burning Sydney building collapses

<p>Sydney has been brought to a standstill after a major fire broke out in the CBD on Thursday night. </p> <p>Firefighters fought to control the blaze, which erupted on Randall Street in Surry Hills, shocking commuters at the neighbouring Central Station. </p> <p>The fire broke out at 4pm, and was later upgraded to a ‘10th alarm’, the most severe type of fire.</p> <p>Bystanders watched on as the multi-storey became engulfed in flames, as the building collapsed and "shook the ground". </p> <p>One firefighter sustained a minor burn, but no major injuries or fatalities were reported. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">SURRY HILLS | Wall collapses as major fire engulfs seven-storey building. New video footage, released by FRNSW, shows the moment a wall from an engulfed building in Surry Hills came crashing down onto the street below. <a href="https://t.co/mZeYGg1Kox">pic.twitter.com/mZeYGg1Kox</a></p> <p>— Fire and Rescue NSW (@FRNSW) <a href="https://twitter.com/FRNSW/status/1661634790662209536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>Fire and Rescue NSW said in a press conference that the blaze is now under control, after firefighters battled the inferno for several hours.</p> <p>Superintendent Adam Dewberry said 20 fire trucks were at the scene to contain the fire, which threatened to spread to nearby apartment blocks in the tightly-packed inner city street.</p> <p>Police said it is “way too early” to determine if the fire was deliberately lit, with an investigation to be launched as soon as firefighters clear the scene.</p> <p>“More than 100 firefighters were called to the scene from multiple stations across Sydney and have been battling the flames from a safe distance,” a Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) spokesman said.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Massive fire engulfs building located in heart of Surry Hills, Sydney</p> <p>Blaze catches on to neighbouring buildings as fire tenders fight <a href="https://t.co/PCPJMD2JET">pic.twitter.com/PCPJMD2JET</a></p> <p>— Nabila Jamal (@nabilajamal_) <a href="https://twitter.com/nabilajamal_/status/1661656544537382912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>“Using specialist appliances and equipment, including ladder trucks and RPAS (drones), they successfully stopped the blaze from engulfing other nearby buildings, including residential apartments."</p> <p>“A short time ago, FRNSW’s Incident Controller declared the fire is contained."</p> <p>“Firefighting operations are expected to continue throughout the night, with crews to be rotated through to ensure their safety and wellbeing."</p> <p>“An exclusion zone remains in place with the public urged to avoid the area."</p> <p>The city was brought to a standstill at peak hour travel times, as roads and public transport were affected but the blaze. </p> <p>One witness said, “It’s actually quite wild out on the streets, people everywhere and ash falling from the sky. Firefighters blocked off Elizabeth St, while shocked commuters lined the street.”</p> <p>“A tornado of black smoke has blanketed the area,” another witness said. “The building looks like the bottom of a fire pit.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Twitter</em></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Britain’s Got Talent burned by 334 complaints after "insensitive" stunt

<p><strong>Warning: This article contains content that some readers may find disturbing.</strong></p> <p><em>Britain’s Got Talent</em> is in hot water with its 16th season after the second episode drew in a staggering 334 complaints - a total of 400 across both episodes, Ofcom reported. </p> <p>The stunt that caused the ire, dubbed “insensitive” and “unacceptable” by the public, saw a professional stuntman named Thomas Vu cover himself in a fire-retardant gel, before he was set alight and left to solve a Rubik’s Cube.</p> <p>In the wake of the stunt, hosts Ant and Dec were quick to issue a warning to viewers, telling them “do not try this at home, ever.” </p> <p>And when the clip was uploaded to the official <em>BGT</em> Twitter account, the text ‘do not try this at home’ is splashed across the video. </p> <p>However, distressed viewers still took to the comments section to share their distaste, with one writing that it was “absolutely ridiculous and irresponsible [and] should never have been allowed to be televised especially on a family programme!!”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Stuntman Thomas Vu solved the Rubik's cube in the most UNEXPECTED way: <a href="https://t.co/nSEWOokCSb">https://t.co/nSEWOokCSb</a></p> <p>Do not try this at home!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BGT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BGT</a> <a href="https://t.co/awPLBTmaEf">pic.twitter.com/awPLBTmaEf</a></p> <p>— BGT (@BGT) <a href="https://twitter.com/BGT/status/1649110690987376642?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>“BGT totally ill-considered showing a guy setting himself on fire whilst solving a Rubik’s Cube,” tweeted another. “No thought to the fact that impressionable children watch the show.”</p> <p>“Don’t get me wrong,” one began, “people do crazy stuff and it’s their choice and that’s fine by me but maybe that last act should have been well after the 9pm watershed?? Not sure that kind of playing with fire thing is suitable for young kids who probably stay up to watch <em>BGT.</em>”</p> <p>“Like what has <em>BGT</em> come to when we set people on fire for entertainment,” someone else said on the matter. </p> <p>And as yet another user put it, “sorry but showing a man setting himself on fire on a ‘family’ show is not acceptable. Even with the mention ‘do not try this at home’.”</p> <p>Concern for children continued from there, with one tweeting “The Rubik’s Cube fire stunt on <em>BGT</em> was totally inappropriate. Did you not think about burn victims and how seeing this would affect them?”</p> <p>Meanwhile, others simply found the stunt to be insensitive, with one even referencing the 1965 Bradford City disaster when they wrote “I just find this insensitive to anyone that has been through any trauma caused by fire.”</p> <p>Criticism for the episode was so intense, coupled with the volume of complaints flowing in, that the show was forced to issue a statement, telling viewers “<em>Britain’s Got Talent </em>showcases a mix of variety acts to engage audiences. </p> <p>“In this case, it was made very clear on screen that this act should not be tried at home and the programme was subject to strict compliance rules."</p> <p><em>Images: Britain’s Got Talent / ITV</em></p>

Body

Placeholder Content Image

Junior staff are finding better contracts, senior staff are burning out: the arts are losing the war for talent

<p>In 1997, consulting firm McKinsey &amp; Company coined the term “<a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/34512/war-talent">the war for talent</a>” to define increasing labour shortages that had significant potential to impact organisational performance. </p> <p>The war for talent significantly impacted corporations at the time, creating a scarcity mindset and encouraging a wave of employee-focussed initiatives designed to attract and retain staff. </p> <p>For the most part, the arts and cultural sector have been sheltered from the war for talent over past decades. Global growth in creative oriented higher education coupled with the “<a href="https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2016/04/26/book-review-be-creative-making-a-living-in-the-new-culture-industries-by-angela-mcrobbie/">romance of being creative</a>” has led to a steady stream of workers willing to enter the sector on low pay. </p> <p>However, in 2022 things have changed.</p> <p>Faced with labour shortages, arts and cultural organisations increasingly find it challenging to operate. In 2021, it was reported screen productions in Australia were <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-24/high-demand-creates-film-skill-shortage/100479392">being jeopardised</a> due to lack of technical skills. </p> <p>Now, summer festivals are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/nov/07/will-australias-festivals-survive-a-wet-chaotic-expensive-summer">struggling to find</a> frontline workers, including security, stage crew, ticketing and transport. </p> <p>It’s not just entry-level positions that remain empty. </p> <p>After <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/may/11/australias-culture-of-ideas-suffers-when-we-starve-our-creative-institutions-of-funding">a decade</a> of funding cuts and policy neglect, followed by the stresses induced by COVID-19, I am observing arts leaders leaving to find secure, better paid and sustainable work elsewhere. </p> <p>In Australia’s increasingly tight labour market, the arts are finally facing a war for talent. </p> <h2>A culture of burnout</h2> <p>If we consider the role of the “arts manager”, it becomes easy to recognise why arts leaders are abandoning the industry.</p> <p>Arts leaders do not just support the creation of art. They are marketers, customer service specialists, supply chain and logistics experts, grant writers, human resources managers and – increasingly – risk managers. </p> <p>They are trying to bring back audiences post-COVID while juggling a contentious funding landscape that balances the need for revenue with audience, staff and artist <a href="https://overland.org.au/2021/09/the-arts-in-australia-need-to-break-up-with-fossil-fuels/">expectations</a> arts organisations do not partner with corporations that fail to align with organisational values.</p> <p>I am increasingly seeing young people leaving arts jobs for opportunities that recognise their skills and provide secure, better paid work. Art workers are highly valuable in today’s economy where creativity and innovation are seen as <a href="https://australiacouncil.gov.au/news/speeches-and-opinions/creative-skills-in-times-of-crisis-how-the-arts-can-help/">keys to success</a>.</p> <p>This lack of younger workers increases the workloads of senior staff, causing them to be burnt out and leave the sector, too.</p> <p>Staff shortages jeopardise the sector’s ability to get back on its feet after the brutal impact of COVID-19. Those that remain in our arts companies are exhausted, left trying to rebuild programs and audiences with fewer resources. </p> <p>While “<a href="https://theconversation.com/quiet-quitting-why-doing-less-at-work-could-be-good-for-you-and-your-employer-188617">quiet quitting</a>” gets media airtime, others in the sector are asking arts workers to embrace the mantra of “<a href="https://larsenkeys.com.au/2022/09/26/post-covid-or-post-burnout-less-is-necessary/">less is necessary</a>”.</p> <p>Individuals need to take action to address their wellbeing. Still, it is also necessary to consider the systems and structures that underpin our arts organisations and how they impact workers.</p> <h2>Structural issues</h2> <p>One way to address the war for talent is to increase the labour supply. </p> <p>Higher education providers who develop creative talent are lobbying for more resources to expand programs and are pushing for changes to the Job Ready graduate scheme that <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-inequity-of-job-ready-graduates-for-students-must-be-brought-to-a-quick-end-heres-how-183808">imposes higher costs</a> on arts and humanities graduates. </p> <p>The latest <a href="https://www.aare.edu.au/blog/?p=14754">Graduate Outcome Survey</a> shows that the employment outcomes of creative arts and arts and humanities graduates have increased over 20% since 2019. The high rates of graduate employability aligns with Australia’s historically low unemployment rate, but also demonstrates the value creative skills now hold in the broader economy.</p> <p>What these positive statistics do not tell us, however, is the working conditions of those employed. </p> <p>The arts are the original gig economy. Of the over 80% of arts and humanities graduates employed six months after graduation, how many earn a living wage? How many work in the arts? How many recent creative arts graduates are juggling multiple short-term contracts simultaneously to build skills, grow networks and cope with cost of living increases? </p> <p>As Australia’s labour market tightens, arts workers are realising they can take their skills to better paid jobs with secure contracts, in fields such as health, technology and management consulting.</p> <p>Unless arts organisations respond by providing similar security and career paths, the departure of talented workers will only continue. </p> <p>This loss of staff will not only impact the ability of organisations to operate today, but will also influence the make-up of arts organisations in the future. </p> <p>When only those who can afford to work under precarious conditions remain, the ability of the sector to attract and retain leaders from diverse communities <a href="https://www.artshub.com.au/news/features/how-do-we-stop-losing-artists-from-the-sector-2578669/">decreases</a>. </p> <h2>Decent work</h2> <p>Arts leaders eagerly await the launch of a new <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-new-national-cultural-policy-is-an-opportunity-for-a-radical-rethinking-of-the-importance-of-culture-in-australia-188720">National Cultural Policy</a>, hoping for significant change in how the arts are valued. </p> <p>Yet arts organisations need to also get their own house in order. </p> <p>Sustainable arts careers mean <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-crisis-of-a-career-in-culture-why-sustaining-a-livelihood-in-the-arts-is-so-hard-171732">decent work</a>. This means structural changes in how arts workers are employed, a shift away from the reliance on volunteers and <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/why-is-a-major-sydney-arts-festival-working-with-google-to-offer-an-unpaid-internship-20220516-p5als1.html">incorrect appointment of unpaid interns</a>, low-wage casual or fixed-term roles to more secure and fairly paid employment. </p> <p>Many in the sector are championing change. The National Association for the Visual Arts is campaigning to <a href="https://visualarts.net.au/news-opinion/2022/recognise-artists-workers/">recognise artists as workers</a>, highlighting the need for an award to support this group that often falls under the industrial relations radar. The music sector has made similar calls for minimum wages for artists, <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/paying-musicians-a-minimum-wage-would-kill-live-music-tote-owner-20220923-p5bkgw.html">yet face critics</a>. </p> <p>The pandemic showed us how important the arts are to our lives. For the arts to continue to play a vital role in our national identity and represent our diverse communities, the sector must be funded appropriately. </p> <p>It is also essential organisations create safe, secure and viable jobs for arts workers. </p> <p>If the industry can only exist by systematically exploiting workers, then the war for talent will be lost.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/junior-staff-are-finding-better-contracts-senior-staff-are-burning-out-the-arts-are-losing-the-war-for-talent-194174" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Art

Placeholder Content Image

Why a renowned artist is burning his own masterpieces

<p dir="ltr">Artist Damien Hirst has begun burning hundreds of his own artworks after his latest collection prompted the buyer to either choose the physical work or the NFT representing it. </p> <p dir="ltr">Those who chose to buy the NFT, or virtual version, of the artwork were told their corresponding physical piece would be destroyed. </p> <p dir="ltr">Asked how he felt about burning the works, Hirst said, "It feels good, better than I expected."</p> <p dir="ltr">The artist himself burned each work individually, with the estimated cost of the works being burned equated to almost $18 million (AUD). </p> <p dir="ltr">Live-streaming the event, the Turner Prize winner and assistants used tongs to deposit individual pieces stacked in piles into fireplaces in the gallery as onlookers watched.</p> <p dir="ltr">"A lot of people think I'm burning millions of dollars of art but I'm not," Hirst said. "I'm completing the transformation of these physical artworks into NFTs by burning the physical versions.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The value of art, digital or physical, which is hard to define at the best of times will not be lost; it will be transferred to the NFT as soon as they are burnt."</p> <p dir="ltr">Hirst launched his first NFT collection last year, called <em>The Currency</em>, which was made up of 10,000 NFTs, corresponding to 10,000 original pieces of art, forcing buyers to choose what medium they would receive. </p> <p dir="ltr">According to London’s Newport Street Gallery, 5,149 buyers opted for the physical works while 4,851 chose the NFTs. </p> <p dir="ltr">Hirst’s works will continue to be burned until <em>The Currency</em> exhibition closes on October 30th. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Art

Placeholder Content Image

“He’s my hero”: 5-year-old saves baby sister from burning cot

<p dir="ltr">A little boy who suffered severe burns after saving his 18-month-old sister has been praised for his heroics during an out-of-control accident in July last year.</p> <p dir="ltr">Jade, a NSW mum-of-four, was supposed to be asleep during an afternoon nap-time with her kids, but two of her youngsters were still awake and had found a gas lighter.</p> <p dir="ltr">The young mum said her five-year-old son Aspen and another of his siblings started several small fires around the room and blew them out, when they lit their younger sister Nirveya’s cot - which she was sleeping in - thinking it could be blown out just as easily.</p> <p dir="ltr">But, the plastic netting around her cot quickly went up, helping the fire spread.</p> <p dir="ltr">Aspen attempted to rescue his infant sister from her burning cot, but struggled to lift her out.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He tried to save her but she was too heavy and so he blames himself,” Jade told <em><a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/nsw-boy-saves-infant-sister-from-burning-cot/eec9fae2-f013-4d52-823f-54a36b2e9ce7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Current Affair</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He could not get her out. But to me, he bought time at the expense of him being burnt.”</p> <p dir="ltr">With the cot collapsing under his weight, the pair fell into the fire and Aspen shielded his little sister from the flames.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It burnt me when I covered her,” Aspen said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Waking up to “screaming and the fire alarm going”, Jade said she ran to the bedroom, where she saw Nirveya’s cot “completely consumed” by the fire.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The flames (were) as tall as I was: you could feel it, the heat from the door,” she recalled.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I just reached in, grabbed her and put her on the floor.”</p> <p dir="ltr">With an ambulance on the way, Jade’s sister Aisha arrived at the house at the same time as a stranger, who would go on to give Aspen immediate treatment for his burns.</p> <p dir="ltr">“As he approached he said he was a burns specialist; that he was close by at a friend’s event, a party, and got an alert,” Aisha said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Aspen’s brave actions meant his little sister - who could have been engulfed in the fire -  was left with one minor burn to her nose.</p> <p dir="ltr">"All thanks for Aspen, she (Nirveya) could have been disfigured from the fire if she was consumed with it," Jade said.</p> <p dir="ltr">But, Aspen wasn’t so lucky, and faces years of treatment and operations after the cot’s plastic netting burnt into his arm.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I don’t think he quite knows how special (it is) … what he has done,” Jade said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He’s my hero … he’s her hero.”</p> <p dir="ltr">His mum said Aspen just sees the physical wounds on his body, which has been difficult.</p> <p dir="ltr">"He says at school he wants to cover his burns because he wants the kids to still play with him and he doesn't want to get bullied for his burns," she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though Nirveya and Jade carry mental scars from the accident, with her young daughter waking “up a lot during the night” ever since, the strength of her son gives Jade strength too.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I think, ‘If you can do it buddy, I can do it too. You’ve been through so much’,” she said.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-6702044a-7fff-345f-abb0-a67f21d8cbf0"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: A Current Affair</em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

New research in Arnhem Land reveals why institutional fire management is inferior to cultural burning

<p>One of the conclusions of this week’s shocking <a href="https://soe.dcceew.gov.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">State of the Environment report</a> is that climate change is lengthening Australia’s bushfire seasons and raising the number of days with a fire danger rating of “very high” or above. In New South Wales, for example, the season now extends to almost eight months.</p> <p>It has never been more important for institutional bushfire management programs to apply the principles and practices of Indigenous fire management, or “cultural burning”. As the report notes, cultural burning reduces the risk of bushfires, supports habitat and improves Indigenous wellbeing. And yet, the report finds:</p> <blockquote> <p>with significant funding gaps, tenure impediments and policy barriers, Indigenous cultural burning remains underused – it is currently applied over less than 1% of the land area of Australia’s south‐eastern states and territory.</p> </blockquote> <p>Our <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-12946-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent research</a> in <em>Scientific Reports</em> specifically addressed the question: how do the environmental outcomes from cultural burning compare to mainstream bushfire management practices?</p> <p>Using the stone country of the Arnhem Land Plateau as a case study, we reveal why institutional fire management is inferior to cultural burning.</p> <p>The few remaining landscapes where Aboriginal people continue an unbroken tradition of caring for Country are of international importance. They should be nationally recognised, valued and resourced like other protected cultural and historical places.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Different indigenous fire application today with a country full of weeds. First burn of of two applications this year. This is what we have to do to make country have less flammable vegetation. Walk through, More time and love put into country. <a href="https://t.co/pnoWFQbq6C">pic.twitter.com/pnoWFQbq6C</a></p> <p>— Victor Steffensen (@V_Steffensen) <a href="https://twitter.com/V_Steffensen/status/1505384041402748930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p><strong>Ancient fire management</strong></p> <p>The rugged terrain of the Arnhem Plateau in Northern Territory has an ancient human history, with archaeological evidence <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-07-20/aboriginal-shelter-pushes-human-history-back-to-65,000-years/8719314#:%7E:text=New%20excavations%20of%20a%20rock,earlier%20than%20archaeologists%20previously%20thought." target="_blank" rel="noopener">dated at 65,000 years</a>.</p> <p>Arnhem Land is an ideal place to explore the effects of different fire regimes because fire is such an essential feature of the natural and cultural environment.</p> <p>Australia’s monsoon tropics are particularly fire prone given the sharply contrasting wet and dry seasons. The wet season sees prolific growth of grasses and other flammable plants, and dry season has reliable hot, dry, windy conditions.</p> <p>Millennia of <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-worlds-best-fire-management-system-is-in-northern-australia-and-its-led-by-indigenous-land-managers-133071" target="_blank" rel="noopener">skilful fire management</a> by Indigenous people in these landscapes have allowed plants and animals needing infrequently burnt habitat to thrive.</p> <p>This involves shifting “mosaic” burning, where small areas are burned regularly to create a patchwork of habitats with different fire histories. This gives wildlife a diversity of resources and places to shelter in.</p> <p>Conservation biologists suspect that the loss of such patchy fires since colonisation has contributed to the <a href="http://132.248.10.25/therya/index.php/THERYA/article/view/236/html_66" target="_blank" rel="noopener">calamitous demise</a> of wildlife species across northern Australia, such as northern quolls, northern brown bandicoots and grassland melomys.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Fire is the way to really look after the land and the people. Since we started here, we've been using fire. And we need to bring it back because it unites the people and the land." Jacob Morris, Gumea-Dharrawal Yuin man. 🎥 Craig Bender &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/VeraHongTweets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VeraHongTweets</a> <a href="https://t.co/Afh6iwIrOX">pic.twitter.com/Afh6iwIrOX</a></p> <p>— FiresticksAlliance (@FiresticksA) <a href="https://twitter.com/FiresticksA/status/1436177617049296901?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2021</a></p></blockquote> <p><strong>Collapse of the cypress pine</strong></p> <p>Our study was undertaken over 25 years, and wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support and close involvement of the Traditional Owners over this time.</p> <p>It compared an area under near continuous Indigenous management by the Kune people of Western Arnhem Land with ecologically similar and unoccupied areas within Kakadu National Park.</p> <p>We found populations of the cypress pine (<em>Callitris intratropica</em>) remained healthy under continual Aboriginal fire management. By contrast, cypress pine populations had collapsed in ecologically similar areas in Kakadu due to the loss of Indigenous fire management, as they have across much of northern Australia.</p> <p>The population of dead and living pines is like a barcode that records fire regime change. The species is so long lived that older trees were well established before colonisation.</p> <p>The timber is extremely durable and termite resistant, so a tree killed by fire remains in the landscape for many decades. And mature trees, but not juveniles, can tolerate low intensity fires, but intense fires kill both.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><em><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/475072/original/file-20220720-22-odbe84.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/475072/original/file-20220720-22-odbe84.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/475072/original/file-20220720-22-odbe84.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=800&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475072/original/file-20220720-22-odbe84.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=800&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475072/original/file-20220720-22-odbe84.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=800&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475072/original/file-20220720-22-odbe84.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1005&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475072/original/file-20220720-22-odbe84.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1005&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475072/original/file-20220720-22-odbe84.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1005&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a></em><figcaption><em><span class="caption">Cypress pine timber can remain in the landscape decades after the tree died.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Michael Hains/Atlas of Living Australia</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p>Since 2007, park rangers have attempted to emulate cultural burning outcomes. They’ve used aircraft to drop incendiaries to create a coarse patchwork of burned and unburned areas to improve biodiversity in the stone country within Kakadu.</p> <p>Unfortunately, our research found Kakadu’s fire management interventions failed to restore landscapes to the healthier ecological condition under traditional Aboriginal fire management.</p> <p>While the Kakadu aerial burning program increased the amount of unburnt vegetation, it didn’t reverse the population collapse of cypress pines. Searches of tens of kilometres failed to find a single seedling in Kakadu, whereas they were common in comparable areas under Aboriginal fire management.</p> <p>Our study highlights that once the ecological benefits of cultural burning are lost, they cannot be simply restored with mainstream fire management approaches.</p> <p>But that’s not to say the ecological impacts from the loss of Aboriginal fire management cannot be reversed. Rather, restoring fire regimes and ecosystem health will be slow, and require special care in where and how fires are set.</p> <p>This requires teams on the ground with deep knowledge of the land, rather than simply spreading aerial incendiaries from helicopters.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">After 60 years of fire exclusion, another magic day restoring fire to Arakwal-Bundjalung-Bumberlin country. <a href="https://t.co/xRRNb4ELdQ">pic.twitter.com/xRRNb4ELdQ</a></p> <p>— Dr. Andy Baker (@FireDiversity) <a href="https://twitter.com/FireDiversity/status/1537768580455931905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p><strong>There’s much to learn</strong></p> <p>There remains much for Western science to learn about <a href="https://theconversation.com/fighting-fire-with-fire-botswana-adopts-indigenous-australians-ancient-burning-tradition-135363" target="_blank" rel="noopener">traditional fire management</a>.</p> <p>Large-scale institutional fire management is based on concepts of efficiency and generality. It is controlled by bureaucracies, and achieved using machines and technologies.</p> <p>Such an “industrial” approach cannot replace the placed-based knowledge, including close human relationships with Country, underpinning <a href="https://www.firesticks.org.au/about/cultural-burning/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cultural burning</a>.</p> <p>Cultural burning and institutional fire management could be thought of as the differences between home cooking and fast food. Fast food is quick, cheap and produces the same product regardless of individual needs. Home cooking takes longer to prepare, can cater to individual needs, and can improve wellbeing.</p> <p>But restoring sustainable fire regimes based on the wisdom and practices of Indigenous people cannot be achieved overnight. Reaping the benefits of cultural burning to landscapes where colonialism has disrupted ancient fire traditions take time, effort and resources.</p> <p>It’s urgent remaining traditional fire practitioners are recognised for their invaluable knowledge and materially supported to continue caring for their Country. This includes:</p> <ul> <li>actively supporting Indigenous people to reside on their Country</li> <li>to pay them to undertake natural resource management including cultural burning</li> <li>creating pathways enabling Indigenous people separated from their country by colonialism to re-engage with fire management.</li> </ul> <p>Restoring landscapes with sustainable cultural burning traditions is a long-term project that will involve training and relearning ancient practices. There are extraordinary opportunities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike to learn how to Care for Country.</p> <hr /> <p><em>The authors gratefully acknowledge the contribution of Victor Steffensen, the Lead Fire Practitioner at the Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation, who reviewed this article.</em><!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/184562/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-bowman-4397" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David Bowman</a>, Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-tasmania-888" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Tasmania</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christopher-i-roos-1354187" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christopher I. Roos</a>, Professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/southern-methodist-university-1988" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Southern Methodist University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/fay-johnston-90826" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fay Johnston</a>, Professor, Menzies Institute for Medical Research, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-tasmania-888" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Tasmania</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-research-in-arnhem-land-reveals-why-institutional-fire-management-is-inferior-to-cultural-burning-184562" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: @FireDiversity (Twitter)</em></p>

Domestic Travel

Placeholder Content Image

As Europe burns, Australia needs to “prepare for 50°C” say experts

<p>The UK’s hottest day on record has given local fire services their busiest day since World War II, wildfires blaze across the Mediterranean and July’s unprecedented European heatwave is yet another example of how climate change will challenge nations.</p> <p>These challenges are expected to roll on in the short-term, with over a month left in what is considered the ‘meteorological summer’.</p> <p>For Australia, experts say the tumbling hot weather records in Europe are a warning to a nation famous for its own sizzling summers.</p> <h2>Records shattered in Europe</h2> <p>The headlines coming out of the region paint a concerning picture.</p> <p>A new record temperature for the UK – exceeding 40°C – has been reached at the same time the nation’s first ever ‘code red’ extreme heat warning was issued.</p> <p>Cities along France’s western coast also saw a mass breaking of temperature records on Monday.</p> <p>In some of these towns, the anomaly – or variation in temperature above the average – has exceeded 16°C.</p> <p>The UK has seen some temperatures clear 20°C above the average.</p> <p>And although some Britons have pointed to their nation’s 1976 heatwave as proof these temperatures are nothing new, meteorologists have swiftly pointed to the widespread nature of these excessive temperatures.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">People keep telling me that because the UK had a heatwave in 1976, climate change is overhyped. </p> <p>So here’s the global heat anomaly maps from June 1976 and June 2022. <a href="https://t.co/GGVg46UTcI">https://t.co/GGVg46UTcI</a> <a href="https://t.co/tngiGoEEUl">pic.twitter.com/tngiGoEEUl</a></p> <p>— Will Norman (@willnorman) <a href="https://twitter.com/willnorman/status/1548547271725240323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">In 2020, the <a href="https://twitter.com/metoffice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@metoffice</a> produced a hypothetical weather forecast for 23 July 2050 based on UK climate projections.</p> <p>Today, the forecast for Tuesday is shockingly almost identical for large parts of the country. <a href="https://t.co/U5hQhZwoTi">pic.twitter.com/U5hQhZwoTi</a></p> <p>— Dr Simon Lee (@SimonLeeWx) <a href="https://twitter.com/SimonLeeWx/status/1547957062000267267?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">We have not seen anything like it. We can't compare this looming heat emergency to summer 1976.</p> <p>A warmer world, thanks to human induced climate change, makes it almost effortless to break extreme heat thresholds. We continue to see this across the planet - not just in Europe. <a href="https://t.co/z0FpZ3Mcbb">pic.twitter.com/z0FpZ3Mcbb</a></p> <p>— Scott Duncan (@ScottDuncanWX) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottDuncanWX/status/1548728369738661891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>Eagle-eyed readers will note these present-day anomaly maps show a ‘redder’ globe to those of 46 years ago – the result of far hotter temperatures than average in most parts of the planet. Now that ominous red patch over Europe extends into Northern Africa – home of nations like Morocco and Algeria – which have also battled blazes along their coasts this week.</p> <p>Although wildfires are known events in Mediterranean regions, the severity of fires blazing across Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Greece is such that tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from homes and holiday areas.</p> <p>These types of events have been predicted for some time, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2022 adaptation report emphasised heatwaves and wildfires would continue to impact human health, food security and ecosystem survival.</p> <p>Although heatwaves and vegetation fires are nothing new in parts of Europe and Northern Africa, Dr Rachael Nolan, a researcher in fire ecology from Western Sydney University, says the impact of warming temperatures is creating fire-prone conditions in areas unaccustomed to them.</p> <p>“In many places around the world we are seeing wildfires occurring in places that don’t usually see fire,” says Nolan.</p> <p>“This is driven by climate change pushing up temperatures and drying out fuel. During heatwaves, high temperatures and low humidity causes vegetation to dry out, leaving areas primed for fire.</p> <p>“Fires can then spread quickly when there is an ignition. This is what we are seeing in the UK at the moment.</p> <p>“We are also seeing fires in the Mediterranean Basin, and although fires in this region are not unusual, they are also occurring at the moment due to the heatwave.”</p> <h2>The consequences for human health are many</h2> <p>“As is being witnessed, the UK’s building stock is not designed or built for heat,” says Professor Darryn McEvoy, a research professor in urban resilience and climate adaptation from RMIT.</p> <p>Building materials like concrete are effective at retaining and amplifying heat in built-up areas – a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect.</p> <p>This can increase the likelihood of heat-related deaths and illnesses, which McEvoy says points to the need to modify towns and cities for the climate of the future.</p> <p>“The heat impacting Europe re-emphasises the need to not only mitigate greenhouse gas emissions as a matter of urgency by reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and moving to ‘net zero’, but also to adapt our urban environments for what, inevitably, will be a hotter future,” McEvoy says.</p> <p>Heat effects aside, urban areas are also more polluted that less densely populated ones.</p> <p>This means atmospheric pollutants, particulate matter that degrades air quality and ozone formation from solar radiation are more likely to occur in periods of extreme heat. It’s why the risk of more severe weather events due to global warming is of concern to health authorities around the world.</p> <p>“When a heatwave goes along with high levels of pollution it exacerbates respiratory, cardiovascular diseases and conditions especially in large urban spaces that are not adapted to cope with these high temperatures,” explains Maria Neira, Director of Environment and Health at the World Health Organisation.</p> <p>“We have been alerting for a long time that climate change is severely affecting human health and therefore taking measures to reach the zero carbon and accelerating the transition to clean renewable sources of energy will be extremely important.”</p> <p>Wildfires like those experienced by parts of Europe and the UK add another complication.</p> <p>With heatwaves capable of exacerbating pollution effects, the release of more toxic substances from widespread vegetation burning increases the risks to human health.</p> <p>Research released on Wednesday by Curtin and Murdoch universities, found a direct link between smoke exposures and attendance at emergency departments. Perth, Western Australia, where these universities are located, has endured several particularly damaging bushfire seasons in recent years.</p> <p>Dr Adeleh Shirangi from Curtin’s School of Population Health led the research that found a 7% increase in emergency admissions.</p> <p>The likelihood of hospitalisations was also higher for those over 60 years of age, from socioeconomic disadvantage and those with pre-existing heart and lung issues. For nations with increasingly ageing populations, this could present healthcare providers with a perfect storm as climate change’s impacts are felt in coming years.</p> <p>“Bushfire smoke consists of a complex mix of particulate matter – PM – and gaseous pollutants such as carbon monoxide and ozone,” explains Shirangi.</p> <p>“And the size of particulate matter that is in bushfire smoke is so small – 2.5 micrometres in diameter – which is about 50 times smaller than the thickness of a strand of human hair.</p> <p>“When we inhale PM2.5, this tiny particulate matter is small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and the bloodstream.</p> <p>“This can lead us to have various, serious diseases affecting the heart, lungs and brain, and during bushfires, the levels of PM concentration in the air are significantly higher than regulatory air quality standards, so it’s become extremely unsafe.”</p> <h2>Northern hemisphere events are an advance warning for Australia</h2> <p>Just as Australia was stunned by consecutive years of record flooding events more often associated with rainy European winters, so has the northern hemisphere been unprepared for heatwaves that have long been part of the Australian psyche.</p> <p>It’s that Australian ‘preparedness’ for heatwaves and bushfire events that may leave the UK and European nations exposed.</p> <p>Tragic drownings of Britons retreating to lakes and streams for respite, as well as increased hospitalisations from heat stress and smoke inhalation, may become more common headlines in the coming years.</p> <p>While more than three in four Australian households have air conditioning, just 1% of UK homes has a cooling system.</p> <p>Just as Australia looks to the potential impacts of climate change on coastline and floodplain communities, so too will European nations need to consider what adaptations are needed to reduce the burden on an already challenged health system – something Dr Sharon Campbell, from the Menzies Institute for Medical Research at the University of Tasmania, describes as being caught in “a perfect storm of social, cultural and political factors”.</p> <p>An adaptive response is important for already heat-prone nations like Australia. In January 2022, the mercury reached a continental record of 50.7°C in Onslow – a coastal town in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.</p> <p>So although the global focus this week is on temperature records broken in the UK and France, Australia too must consider the impacts of hotter summers on its built-up areas, and high-fuel vegetation.</p> <p>“These factors combine to make this [UK] event a human and environmental disaster,” says Campbell. “The UK has a health system already at breaking point, a government distracted by leadership battles, and an emergency-fatigued population just wanting to have a summer of fun.</p> <p>“Driven by human-induced climate change, extreme and record-breaking temperatures have hit Australia, the United States and now Europe across successive summers.</p> <p>“Australia needs to actively prepare for 50°C in major population centres like Western Sydney. This takes government leadership and community understanding.</p> <p>“We have seen a shift to greater recognition of these risks with a recent change in federal government, and this needs to be urgently followed by greater investment in research, adaptation initiatives and education.”</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/australia-needs-to-prepare-for-50/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Matthew Agius.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Travel Trouble

Placeholder Content Image

Famous ‘Napalm Girl’ receives final burns treatment

<p dir="ltr">The woman known around the globe as “Napalm Girl” has received her final round of treatment for the burns she received as a child when her village in Vietnam was hit by a napalm bomb.</p> <p dir="ltr">Kim Phuc was just nine years old when South Vietnamese planes dropped the bomb on the village of Trảng Bàng in 1972 and she was photographed running naked from her home, covered in third-degree burns after her clothes caught on fire.</p> <p dir="ltr">The iconic photo, taken by Vietnamese-American photographer Nick Ut before he rushed Ms Phuc to a hospital, won a Pulitzer Prize and became a symbol of the awful consequences of war.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Phuc, who has since become a Canadian citizen, has lived with the pain and scars from the attack ever since.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-592e9620-7fff-cb30-c831-53f262c58d99"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">On Tuesday, she underwent a 12-hour medical procedure in Miami, with local media reporting it was the final course of laser therapy for her scars.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/07/kim-phuc1.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Kim Phuc underwent the last of her laser therapy treatments for the burns across her body, 50 years after she received them. Image: Getty Images</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Now 59, Ms Phuc also reunited with Mr Ut and recalled the distressing moment when they first met.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I heard the noise, bup-bup bup-bup, and then suddenly there was fire everywhere around me and I saw the fire all over my arm,” Ms Phuc said of the moment the bomb landed, per NBC 6 South Florida.</p> <p dir="ltr">“[Ut] told me after he took my pic that he saw me burned so severely, he put down his camera and he rushed me to [the] nearest hospital.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Ut also recalled how terribly injured Ms Phuc was.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I saw her burning, her body burning so badly,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">But when he took her to a local hospital, staff initially refused to treat her and told him to take her to another hospital two hours away.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I get upset, I hold my media pass, I say, ‘I’m media, if she dies, my picture’s on the front page of every newspaper tomorrow’ … they took her right away inside,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">During her decades-long recovery, Dr Jill Waibel has been helping her, using laser therapy to heal and remove scar tissue.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f7f833b3-7fff-f32a-9f73-40919640df43"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“It used to be that everyone with an injury like Kim’s would pass away and so we are blessed now that we can keep people alive but we really have to help them thrive and live,” Dr Waibel said.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CfR-zFYPGjV/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CfR-zFYPGjV/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Nick Ut (@utnicky)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Ms Phuc now lives in Toronto and is the founder of the Kim Foundation International, which provides aid to child victims of war.</p> <p dir="ltr">On the 50th anniversary of the attack, Ms Phuc penned an essay for <em><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/06/opinion/kim-phuc-vietnam-napalm-girl-photograph.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a></em>, revealing she hated the photo for a long time as she struggled to heal amid the photo’s growing popularity.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You don’t grow out of the scars, physically or mentally,” she wrote. “I am grateful now for the power of that photograph of me as a 9-year-old, as I am of the journey I have taken as a person.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m proud that, in time, I have become a symbol of peace. It took me a long time to embrace that as a person. I can say, 50 years later, that I’m glad Nick captured that moment, even with all the difficulties that image created for me.</p> <p dir="ltr">“That picture will always serve as a reminder of the unspeakable evil of which humanity is capable. Still, I believe that peace, love, hope and forgiveness will always be more powerful than any kind of weapon.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-800ccc89-7fff-32a8-334c-fe72a34f8c93"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Nick Ut / Canapress</em></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Heartwarming update for toddler who suffered catastrophic burns

<p dir="ltr">The family of the boy who suffered burns to 40 per cent of his body have shared a heartwarming update.</p> <p dir="ltr">Elijah Whitton was left in critical condition after a fire ripped through the family home in Mildura, Victoria on May 1.</p> <p dir="ltr">The two-year-old was rushed to hospital where he was placed in an induced coma due to the devastating burns to 40 per cent of his body. </p> <p dir="ltr">Almost three weeks later, Elijah’s sister Alyia shared an update on his condition after his third wound debridement. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Elijiah came out of his third wound debridement surgery on May 12,” Alyia wrote on the <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/d86xr-fight-for-elijah" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> page.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He has adapted well to the changes made. Elijah had skin grafting to his face and to his lower body. </p> <p dir="ltr">“His swelling has reduced and his skin has improved. His breathing tube has been removed and he is now breathing on his own. Both of his eyes have opened. </p> <p dir="ltr">“However, he is still getting used to the new changes, he's been a bit more agitated since coming out of surgery, which is expected.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He is recovering incredibly well!!</p> <p dir="ltr">“Thank you to everyone who has contributed to Elijah's fight to recovery, words will never be able to summarise how grateful we are.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Aliyia also said that Elijah had his fourth wound debridement on May 19 - she is yet to update on the progress. </p> <p dir="ltr">If you would like to donate to Elijah’s family go to the GoFundMe link <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/d86xr-fight-for-elijah" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: GoFundMe/7News</em></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Woman claims she was left with third degree burns from Woolworths product

<p dir="ltr">A Queensland woman claims that has been left with horrifying third degree burns after a Woolworth’s popular buy exploded in the oven.</p> <p dir="ltr">Angela, who is a huge fan of the Bag n Bake because of its convenience, placed her dinner in the oven and went about her business.</p> <p dir="ltr">When it was time to take it out, she opened the oven and the bag exploded all over her arm.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s an oven-proof bag, it’s meant to go in the oven. But on this occasion, the bag just exploded open and the sauce that was in it came out,” she told <a href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/woolworths/queensland-grandmother-claims-popular-woolworths-deli-buy-exploded-causing-third-degree-burns-c-6161235" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7News</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The sugar in the marinade made it even hotter. It was so, so painful.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Angela immediately ran her arm under cold water and put burn cream on it before serving dinner.</p> <p dir="ltr">In shock at the nasty burn, Angela eventually went to the doctor who was unsure of how bad the burn was.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He put all this cream on it, non-stick gauze on it and then triple wrapped it so it would stay moist the whole time.</p> <p dir="ltr">A few days later, Angela went to her family doctor who told her to come back every two days to get it cleaned and redressed.</p> <p dir="ltr">Sharing photos to the Woolworths Facebook page, the supermarket requested Angela get in touch with them to help resolve the issue.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, Angela claims the worker who gave her the Bag n Bake did not seal it properly and there may have been a bad batch of bags.</p> <p dir="ltr">She said she was happy with the way Woolworths handled the incident, who she said will remain in touch to ensure she is okay.</p> <p dir="ltr">Angela is still feeling a bit miserable about the scar being in a noticeable place and that it won’t disappear.</p> <p dir="ltr">Warning: Photos can be viewed <a href="https://www.facebook.com/woolworths/posts/7288303804575021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> at reader’s discretion.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Food & Wine

Placeholder Content Image

Warning after child suffers horrific burn from everyday item

<p dir="ltr">When it comes to using hand sanitiser, most of us don’t think twice and squeeze a little on our palms. </p> <p dir="ltr">Almost every place has hand santiser handy, but this has renewed calls to parents to keep an eye out for it around their children. </p> <p dir="ltr">Paramedic and mum-of-two Nikki took to Instagram to show the dangers of children misusing hand-sanitiser. </p> <p dir="ltr">She shared an image of a young boy named James to the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cawa4MAM34G/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tiny Hearts Education</a> page, who suffered a horrific chemical burn in his eye after using a foot pump hand sanitiser dispenser.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It took days for James to be able to open his eyes and several weeks to get the all-clear of no long-term damage,” Nikki wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">Exposure of the chemicals in hand-sanitiser to the eye can cause minor injuries or even “complete blindness”. </p> <p dir="ltr">“These kinda accidents can occur from a whole range of chemicals. It could be acidic agents such as bleach, window cleaner, vinegar and pool chemicals, or alkali agents such as fertilisers, drain cleaners, sparklers, plaster and cement - but the list is endless!”</p> <p dir="ltr">The passionate mother warned parents in similar incidents to irrigate the area first, listing how to do so, before rushing to the emergency department.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Irrigating the eye is so important as we aim to flush out as much of the chemical as possible. It is best done with Normal Saline but when this is not available running water will do the trick.”</p> <p dir="ltr">She suggested wrapping the child “like a burrito to help keep them still”, while assisting older children over the sink.</p> <p dir="ltr">Slightly warm water should be run over the eyes as the child blinks repeatedly to help flush out the chemical. This should be done for at least 15 minutes. </p> <p dir="ltr">Nikki also warned of contacts to be removed before any process. </p> <p dir="ltr">“P.S Also a reminder - PLEASE do not let little ones use foot pump hand sanitiser dispensers!!”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Burning is the slickest film about climate change since An Inconvenient Truth – and that’s its problem

<p><em>Review: Burning, directed by Eva Orner.</em></p> <p>The word “crisis” comes from the Greek <em>krinein</em>, which means to decide. You’re stuck in the middle of a burning fire: you need to decide whether you are going to stay and perish; whether you are going to fight to put it out; or whether you are going to leave and let it burn.</p> <p><em>Burning</em>, Eva Orner’s new documentary, is about the climate crisis, and the Australian government’s decision to (metaphorically) let the fires burn.</p> <p>It is quite explicit in its claims, and this makes it effective as a kind of cinematic essay. It carefully presents – via the words of interviewee <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/former-fire-chief-greg-mullins-faces-the-firestorm-again-20210918-p58stw.html" target="_blank">Greg Mullins</a>, former New South Wales fire commissioner – the history of bushfires in Australia.</p> <p><iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hTfyD7ALJtU?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p>While acknowledging, as the refrain goes, there have always been fires in Australia, the film presents evidence and analysis showing fires have massively worsened in recent years in frequency and severity in line with the forecasts of climate scientists regarding global warming.</p> <p><em>Burning</em> goes on to argue the 2019-2020 “Black Summer” bushfires, its ostensible subject, could have been headed off by a well-conceived response to global warming.</p> <p><strong>Past and present</strong></p> <p>Through a series of talking head interviews, <em>Burning</em> convincingly argues the severity of the devastation of the Black Summer bushfires is largely the fault of the Morrison government (and preceding conservative governments) in refusing to recognise climate change is real, and to enact policies addressing this.</p> <p>Mullins’ commentary is joined by, among others, scientist <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/tim-flannery/110/" target="_blank">Tim Flannery</a>, young activist <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.vogue.com.au/culture/features/teenage-climatechange-campaigner-daisy-jeffrey-on-what-its-really-like-to-be-a-young-activist/news-story/4b7442757e6e066df7d3ce31f07410cd" target="_blank">Daisy Jeffrey</a>, writer <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.magabala.com/collections/bruce-pascoe" target="_blank">Bruce Pascoe</a> and residents affected by the bushfires who talk about the devastation their communities faced.</p> <p>Through meticulously curated and assembled archival footage, we also hear from a list of the usual suspects: Tony Abbott, Malcolm Roberts, Barnaby Joyce, Alan Jones, and of course, Prime Minister Scott Morrison.</p> <p>The film is careful to tie this back to much earlier conservative discourse, with an interview with Alexander Downer in which he contests the reality of global warming.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430676/original/file-20211108-16752-1s9xxhz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430676/original/file-20211108-16752-1s9xxhz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="A charred landscape" /></a><em> <span class="caption">Burning argues the Black Summer bushfires could have been averted if climate action had been taken.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Amazon Prime</span></span></em></p> <p>It also – again, convincingly – demonstrates the role of the Murdoch media in propagating climate change denialism, with snippets from Sky News as recent as 2020 casting doubt on the reality of global warming.</p> <p>The film is at pains to point out this is not only historical, but current – we see Morrison recently bagging out electric cars (“<a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/10/scott-morrison-walks-back-end-the-weekend-rhetoric-on-electrical-vehicles" target="_blank">It’s not gonna tow your trailer</a>. It’s not going to tow your boat. It’s not going to get you out to your favourite camping spot with your family.”) and proselytising about the future role of gas in Australia’s economy.</p> <p><strong>Too polished</strong></p> <p>It’s a very well-made documentary, full of stunning images of Australian geography and flora and fauna – beautiful <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.videomaker.com/article/c6/17127-bokeh-and-depth-of-field" target="_blank">bokeh</a>, slow tracking shots around leaves, etc – interspersed with dramatic meteorological charts, and some shocking footage of the bushfires burning across the country.</p> <p>It is, I would suggest, the slickest film about climate change since <em>An Inconvenient Truth</em> (2006), and, like that film, its polish plays against it as a documentary film experience.</p> <p>This is the annoying thing about the film: it’s so right at the level of content, but formally it falls short. Apart from a few select moments – harrowing images of charred animals, a koala trying to escape a fire, and a devastating interview with a young mother whose baby was born prematurely with a dying placenta because of smoke inhalation – the actual material centred on the bushfires is peculiarly uninvolving.</p> <p>We watch interviews with Cobargo residents that, given the subject, seem surprisingly run of the mill.</p> <p>It’s like the film mentions the smoke, but doesn’t capture its eerie apocalyptic quality. It mentions the intense heartbreak and brutality of the fires for towns like Cobargo, but doesn’t put us in the middle of it. It tells us things more than it makes us feel things, and this is seldom beneficial in the medium.</p> <p>Even much of the footage captured by residents seems strangely contained by the film, with what surely was a surreal, infernal nightmare presented instead in a thoroughly digestible, middlebrow fashion.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430675/original/file-20211108-9989-1k54s2x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430675/original/file-20211108-9989-1k54s2x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="A firefighter" /></a> <em><span class="caption">Burning gets so much right in regards to its content, but is let down by its form.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Amazon Prime</span></span></em></p> <p><em>Burning</em> clearly examines climate change as a political weapon in Australia – and leaves no doubt about the connections between global warming and the recent bushfires. The message of the film is spot on, the logic of its argument faultless.</p> <p>There are striking moments – footage of dead animals; listening to Daisy Jeffrey; Bruce Pascoe’s closing words about the stewardship of the land. And yet it doesn’t work as well as it could as a piece of cinema. It lacks the edge of eco docos like <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/film-review-wild-things-packs-passionate-climate-activism-into-an-overly-polite-documentary-154374" target="_blank">Wild Things</a></em> (2020) partly because it’s too slick.</p> <p>We want a hot and sweaty, intense film from within the belly of the bushfires and the horrors of Australian climate policy – instead we get a polished and well-mannered one.</p> <p>It is a really good, well-made doco essay – primed for streaming (produced for Amazon, this is probably its primary intended medium, so it’s no surprise it isn’t very cinematic).</p> <p>Its material is compelling - it certainly stokes our indignation - but it is unlikely to teach a climate change believer anything they don’t already know, and a sceptic won’t watch or listen to it anyway.</p> <p><em>Burning is at Sydney Film Festival until Monday November 8 and will be streaming on Amazon Prime from November 26.</em><!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/171385/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ari-mattes-97857" target="_blank">Ari Mattes</a>, Lecturer in Communications and Media, <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-notre-dame-australia-852" target="_blank">University of Notre Dame Australia</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/burning-is-the-slickest-film-about-climate-change-since-an-inconvenient-truth-and-thats-its-problem-171385" target="_blank">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Amazon Prime</em></p>

Movies

Placeholder Content Image

Hero jogger rescues family pets from burning home

<p><em>Image: Youtube </em></p> <p>A good Samaritan has been caught on a California home's Ring security camera rescuing a cat, a rabbit and two dogs from a stranger's house.</p> <p>The hero, who has since been identified as Paul Murphy, was jogging past on the street when he saw smoke surrounding the family home.</p> <p>The homeowners, who were not home at the time, had no idea what was happening nor that their four pets were in danger until Murphy contacted them through their Ring surveillance camera.</p> <p>Courtney Polito, one of the homeowners, said she saw Murphy "running back and forth" on their porch.</p> <p>"So I answered it and he said, 'Hello, do you see there's smoke coming out of the top of your house?'" Polito said.</p> <p>Polito proceeded to share the home access code with Murphy as smoke alarms started going off.</p> <p>Murphy then ran in and out of the house to save the Politos' four pets. Had Murphy not helped when he did, the family would have lost everything.</p> <p>"The fire department said 10 more minutes and the house would have been gone," Polito said.</p> <p>Polito's husband, Tony, also told the outlet that to enter a stranger's house when it's on fire to rescue pets "takes a certain type of person."</p> <p>Murphy was able to get out of the house by the time firefighters arrived to extinguish the fire, but it's unclear what Murphy did in the meantime with the animals.</p> <p>Courtney Polito said she is looking forward to showing Murphy how grateful she and her family are for his help, and is looking forward to giving him "a hug.</p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Peter “Captain Covid” Helliar asks burning Covid question

<p dir="ltr">Comedian and<span> </span><em>Project</em><span> </span>co-host Peter Heliar used an interview with Covid expert Dr Norman Swan to ask for some health advice for himself, a month after battling COVID-19.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 46-year-old suddenly disappeared from the show in early November, revealing shortly after via social media that he had been diagnosed with Covid. Having received both Covid jabs, the comic described his symptoms as no worse than a “mild cold”.</p> <p dir="ltr">On Thursday night’s episode, he took the opportunity to ask Dr Swan what people who had been infected, like himself, should do about getting dose three of the vaccine as the Omicron variant makes its way through the community.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">As some states continue to drop restrictions for the unvaccinated, other states are bringing rules back as Omicron continues to spread. Dr <a href="https://twitter.com/normanswan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@normanswan</a> tells us more.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheProjectTV?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheProjectTV</a> <a href="https://t.co/vU0HGIAaiA">pic.twitter.com/vU0HGIAaiA</a></p> — The Project (@theprojecttv) <a href="https://twitter.com/theprojecttv/status/1471396116935675907?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2021</a></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“There’s been a lot of different advice for people who’ve had Covid - including myself, Captain Covid - when is the right time?” he<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/current-affairs/peter-helliars-one-big-question-after-battling-covid/news-story/481e1a7b3fb9328e95f3aabc21bc2024" target="_blank">asked</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The good news for people who’ve had the infection is it’s the equivalent of having a third dose of the vaccine,” said Dr Swan. “So, Pete, you might be OK, at least for the time being.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was double-vaxxed when I got Covid,” Heliar told him.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So you’ve effectively had a third dose, and there’s probably not a breakneck rush. But you’re not going to come to any harm if you have a fourth one, just to be sure,” he advised.</p> <p dir="ltr">Dr Swan also shared some worrying advice for anyone who received doses of AstraZeneca.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Astra, after about 14 or 15 weeks, has zero protection against symptomatic disease,” he said, referring to data which had been released from Britain.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s probably got some protection against hospitalisation, but zero protection against symptomatic disease. That’s why the British went for three months (for boosters), and it’s why we should too.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Panellist Jan Fran, who was one of many young Australians to get the AstraZeneca jab, was particularly concerned, and asked how she and others like her could protect themselves against the Omicron variant.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Hearing you say that does not fill me with a lot of confidence,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“What advice do you have for people like me who might be worried they have no protection at all?”</p> <p dir="ltr">Dr Swan reiterated that the AstraZeneca vaccine did protect people against hospitalisation - “but what you’ve got to do, as soon as you’re eligible, is get a booster. Whatever’s available, Pfizer or Moderna. And in the meantime, I’d be wearing a mask and taking a bit of care.”</p> <p dir="ltr">His appearance on the show comes as the country records exponentially growing Covid case numbers, with NSW recording 2213 new cases on Friday.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: The Project (Twitter)</em></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Stunning image of baby thrown from burning building

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post-body-container"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>A mother was forced to throw her young child from a burning building during riots in South Africa.</p> <p>The riots have been set off by the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma.</p> <p>The mother and child were reunited after she threw him from the building.</p> <p>The violence began yesterday after Zuma began serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court on Thursday as he refused to comply with a court order that investigated allegations of corruption while he was president from 2009 to 2018.</p> <p>"The criminal element has hijacked this situation," Premier David Makhura of Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg, said.</p> <p>With more than half of South Africa's 60 million people living in poverty and the COVID-19 pandemic impacting livelihoods, the desperation has reached a boiling point.</p> <p>"We understand that those unemployed have inadequate food. We understand that the situation has been made worse by the pandemic," an emotional Mr Makhura said on the state South African Broadcasting Corp.</p> <p>"But this looting is undermining our businesses here (in Soweto). It is undermining our economy, our community. It is undermining everything."</p> <p><em>Photo credits:<span> </span></em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/mother-throws-child-from-burning-building-south-africa-riots-zuma-jailing/4c3b7259-e2df-4910-a6ad-63ffaa76aedb" target="_blank"><em>9NEWS</em></a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Dad's terrifying warning about burn injuries at home

<p>In June last year, Milli Radcliffe came home from a party feeling hungry.</p> <p>The 8-year-old went to the kitchen to prepare one of her favourite snacks, instant noodles, just like she had done so many times before.</p> <p>However, this time, she decided to sit down on the couch to eat with the bowl of hot noodles resting in her lap, rather than the table.</p> <p>"It all happened so fast," recalls her father Mat. "Milla was sitting eating when I heard her scream. I won't ever forget it."</p> <p>Some of the hot water from the bowl had spilled on Milla's lap, causing her to jump up and drop the entire scolding hot contents onto her legs.</p> <p>Milla ended up suffering from severe burns around the inside of her thighs and groin area.</p> <p>"I was so scared," Milla recalls. "The pain was horrible - on a scale from 1 to 10 it was definitely a 10!"</p> <p>While Mat was shocked, fortunately, he knew the correct first aid treatment for burns and immediately leaped into action.</p> <p>"I thought for a moment that the noodles had stuck to her, but it was actually her skin bubbling and peeling," Mat explains. "I felt sick, but knew I had to get water on her and the ambulance called."</p> <p>"Within seconds I had her pants off and running her legs and groin under cool water. She was sobbing and in shock."</p> <p>Mat's quick thinking, along with a trip to the hospital, played a significant role in her recovery.</p> <p>Thankfully, she was home in just 24 hours, despite being very sore and with an ongoing routine to manage her pain and injuries.</p> <p>One year on, Milla is still impacted by the terrifying incident. She has permanent scarring, requires dressings, frequent moisturiser, and will likely need operations down the track.</p> <p>Thankfully, she can still do cartwheels, which was one of her main concerns.</p> <p>Her message to other kids is very simple: "Always sit down with your food and don't put it on your lap."</p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

“Split second” moment leaves little boy severely burned

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Looking away for a “split second” was all it took for a little boy to suffer horrific injuries from a common household item.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In July last year, aged care nurse Georgette Lysaght went to work and left her husband to look after their two children, six-month-old Ben and older sister Brooklyn, in the family room of their Moree home in northwest NSW.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mr Lysaght was sitting on the floor while the children played, with Ben using a walker to make his way around the room, when Mr Lysaght turned to reach behind him for his ringing phone.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The room had a gas heater built into a faux fireplace that served as the home’s only heat source.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He had turned to pick up the phone and answer it because it had rung and in that split second Ben had pushed himself to the gas heater and grabbed hold of the bars,” Ms Lysaght said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Initially his hands got stuck to them and he didn’t make a sound … [Ben was] red in the face from that pain where you can’t even talk.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What Mr Lysaght did next saved his son from having to receive a skin graft, doctors would later say.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The quick-thinking dad picked up Ben and ran his burned hand under a tap.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When Mr Lysaght then called his wife, she could hear Ben now screaming in the background.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“All [my husband] said was ‘burn’ … my husband couldn’t even talk, he was just in so much shock,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When Ms Lysaght got home the parents rushed Ben to Moree Hospital, after wrapping his hand in a damp cloth and using ice to keep cool water running over the burn.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Ben actually wasn’t crying when [hospital staff] were touching it. I didn’t know at the time and I was like ‘that’s good right? It doesn’t hurt as much’,” Ms Lysaght said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“They said no, it’s bad because it means it’s gone down so deep he can’t feel it on the top layers ... he had basically fried all his nerves.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As a result of his third degree burns, the tips of two of Ben’s fingers were removed as that part of the hand had ‘died’.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After the surgery, Mr and Ms Lysaght had to take Ben to The Children’s Hospital in Westmead, Sydney, for fortnightly and monthly physio and fitting of new casts to protect the burn.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img style="width: 500px; height: 500px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841549/80aa7e1439b7f4b51eb4e56e44d4b953.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a4dad41b3d3147558e2be39d86207622" /></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nearly a year later, Ben’s hand has now mostly healed, but he is yet to regain feeling in his hand. Doctors have said the sensation will eventually come back.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If he picks things up with that hand and he puts it in his mouth, he gets a shock, he’s not expecting it to be cold or hot,” Ms Lysaght said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While too young to fully remember the incident, Ben does get upset whenever he sees a gas heater and the Lysaghts have since moved to a new home with split-cycle air conditioning and heating instead.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">By sharing their story, Ms Lysaght hopes to help other families become more aware of the dangers heaters pose and how knowing first aid is so vital.</span></p> <p><strong>What to do after a burn</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After a burn, run the affected area under cool running water for 20 minutes - and avoid using butter, gel, cream, iced water or ice.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“When a burn occurs, the first step in treatment should always be cool running water. This can reduce the thickness of the burn, as well as the time a burn will take to heal,” said Dr Torey Lawrence, head of the burns unit at The Children’s Hospital in Westmead and Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He said using cold water was the “only effective first aid for burns”.</span></p>

Family & Pets

Our Partners