Is Australia’s fire the world’s future?

We look at the bushfires raging in Australia and discuss the role climate change is playing on wildfire severity and frequency around the globe.

Air Date: January 10, 2020 10:00 am

In this aerial photo Monday, Dec. 30, 2019, wildfires rage under plumes of smoke in Bairnsdale, Australia. (Glen Morey via AP, File)

Guests: Biana Nogrady, Ed Struzik, Elizabeth Kolbert

The bushfires in Australia have destroyed 17.9 million acres and 2,000 homes. They’ve killed 27 people and an estimated one billion animals. Australia experienced the hottest and driest year on record in 2019 which helped fuel this devastating fire season. This hour, we’ll get an update on the fires from reporter BIANCA NOGRADY, who had to evacuate from her hometown of Blackheath to Sydney. Then, we look at the connection between climate change and wildfires and why they are becoming more frequent and more unpredictable with ELIZABETH KOLBERT, staff writer for The New Yorker and ED STRUZIK, author of Firestorm: How Wildfires Will Shape Our Future

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