Why have the fires burned in Australia for several months?

It is caused by factors such as extreme heat, long-term drought, strong winds, and climate change.

1. Extreme high temperatures

Australia is in the midst of a heat wave. In the first three months, temperatures have hit record highs. In mid-December, Australia had its hottest day in history, with an average temperature of 41.9 degrees Celsius. Heat conditions show few signs of abating in the coming weeks.

2. Long-term drought.

Australia has experienced its driest spring since records began 120 years ago, with much of New South Wales and Queensland experiencing a rainfall deficit since early 2017. Trees, shrubs and grass have become ideal sources of fire.

3. Strong winds assisting the situation

Along with it are bitter winds, which fanned the flames and pushed the smoke around Australia's major cities. Last week, wind speeds were recorded as high as 1 hour per hour. Close to 100 kilometers.

4. Hotter, drier climate

Australian climate experts say climate change is the key to understanding the severity of this year's fires - hotter, drier conditions are making the country's Fire seasons are longer and more dangerous. The Australian Climate Commission found that extreme weather has become more frequent in Australia over the past 30 years. According to Australia's National Bureau of Meteorology, temperatures have risen by more than 1 degree Celsius since 1920, with most of the increase since 1950.

5. Human factors: slow response

Australian Prime Minister Morrison has been widely condemned for his response to the crisis, especially his insistence that fires are nothing new and climate change Doesn't matter.

Extended information:

Prime Minister Morrison "forcefully declared war" on the wildfires: announcing that for the first time in the country's history, Australian Defense Force reservists would be summoned to put out fires and deploy the country's largest warship " Adelaide" assisted in evacuating affected residents near the coastline. The United States, France, Canada and many other countries have also offered to provide assistance to Australia to help fight the fire.

Australian ecologists estimate that at least 480 million wild animals have been killed in the fires in New South Wales alone. The number of animals killed in forest fires in other states is unclear, but experts estimate that of animals may reach 1 billion. According to reports, in addition to causing irreparable ecological disasters, the fire will also cause economic losses of at least 5 billion Australian dollars (approximately RMB 23.7 billion). It is expected that Australia's short-term GDP growth will be reduced by 0.2 to 0.5 percentage points. Among them, tourism and animal husbandry suffered particularly heavy losses.

Reference: People's Daily Online - Why can't Australia put out the wildfires that have been burning for half a year?