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The financial industry regulator says insurers may be able to pay future claims, but fewer people will be able to secure coverageMillions of Australians could be left uninsured as the effects of climate change put increasing pressure on the financial system, the industry’s regulatory body has warned.The Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority (Apra) executive director Dr Sean Carmody told a Senate hearing on Tuesday the...

Fires have always been a part of our natural world. But they’re moving to new ecosystems previously untouched by fire – and this is concerning scientistsWildfires are spreading to fuel-abundant regions of the world that used to be less prone to burning, according to a new analysis of 20 years of data by the Guardian.While the overall area of annual burn in the world...

But before the expected weekend rains, firefighters will have to contend with strong winds whipping up the flamesConditions are expected to get worse before they get better for the firefighters battling the Perth hills blaze with authorities warning of gusty winds heading into the weekend.Winds up to 35 km/h are forecast for the region on Friday night into Saturday morning with stronger gusts up...

Photographer Rachel Mounsey has documented the year after the blazes tore through her home regionStanding in my backyard under a searing midday sun, the bricklayer’s sinewy arms are splayed out, rollie in one hand, trowel in the other. Bart the brickie reenacts the moment he thought might have been his last.He is reliving putting out embers with his flannelette shirt and driving over flames...

From Australian bushfires to Atlantic hurricanes, insurance damages were the highest annual total ever, says Christian Aid studyThe world’s 10 costliest weather disasters of 2020 saw insured damages worth $150bn, topping the figure for 2019 and reflecting a long-term impact of global warming, according to a new report.The same disasters claimed at least 3,500 lives and displaced more than 13.5 million people. Continue reading...

Mallee, Wimmera and NSW Riverina on alert after blaze breaks out south of Murray RiverAn extreme fire warning has been issued for the Mallee and Wimmera districts in Victoria, as wild weather battered Melbourne on Sunday.The Bureau of Meteorology (Bom) on Sunday noted extreme fire danger ratings for the Mallee and the Wimmera and severe fire danger warnings for the northern country and north...

Fires sparked by illegal campfire on 14 October have destroyed 82,500 hectares of national park on world heritage listed islandA bushfire burning on Fraser Island could impact Happy Valley village and residents have been told to prepare to leave.An update from Queensland Fire and Emergency Services said the fire was burning 3.5km north-west of Happy Valley on Sunday and conditions could get worse. Continue...

Report into the apocalyptic 2019-20 bushfires says Australia must radically change its approach to fighting fires under new climate conditionsAustralia’s bushfire disaster last summer was just a glimpse of what global heating will deliver to the country in the future, with major changes needed to the way the nation responds, according to the final report of the royal commission.The royal commission has made 80...

Authorities upgraded the fire to ‘watch and act’ level, but say the blaze is under control and no homes are under threatA hazard reduction burn around North Head on Sydney’s northern beaches which jumped containment lines has prompted the evacuation of nearby residents.New South Wales police said in a statement that commercial premises and residential properties around North Head had been evacuated. Continue reading...

Scientists say hotter and longer summers make such an unusually fierce fire more likelyA bushfire that destroyed most of a village in New Zealand’s South Island has sparked a fierce debate between high-country farmers and conservationists, as those affected struggle to understand the unusually fierce nature of the blaze.Lake Ōhau village is located at the foothills of the Ben Ohau mountain range, and is...

Residents of Cooktown in far north Queensland are being advised to leave the area as an uncontrolled bushfire burns along Oakey Creek RoadA large “dangerous and uncontrolled” bushfire was threatening lives and homes in far north Queensland, with residents told to leave immediately.The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services was fighting a blaze travelling on both sides of Oakey Creek Road in Cooktown, north of...

We have a sense of what it means to live in disturbing times, to live under threat. We should not forget the many people who have known this all their livesThis is part of a series of essays by Australian writers responding to the challenges of 2020One fine untroubled morning in 2019 I was out walking in Potts Point, on my way to see...

Royal commission hears more frequent natural disasters in Australia will become ‘a major strategic problem in its own right’The Australian defence force will need a bigger budget to meet growing community expectations that it will help out during natural disasters while maintaining preparedness for a traditional military threat, the royal commission into national natural disaster preparedness has heard.The ADF were called in to help...

Rebuilding bushfire-ravaged areas during a pandemic has been a huge challenge. One group of survivors is embracing the opportunity to roll out sustainable, fire-proof homesAs a bushfire raged through north-east Victoria late last year, leaving destroyed houses and blackened bushland in its wake, Cudgewa man Joshua Collings, his partner Kate and their young son Tully joined a convoy of cars snaking their way down...

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT OF DEAD ANIMALSNearly 3 billion animals have been killed or displaced by the devastating 2019-2020 bushfire season, according to scientists who have revealed for the first time the scale of the impact on the country’s native wildlife. An estimated 143 million mammals, 180 million birds, 51 million frogs and a staggering 2.5 billion reptiles were affected by the fires that burned...

Exclusive: Bushfires ‘one of the worst wildlife disasters in modern history’, say scientists Nearly 3 billion animals were killed or displaced by Australia’s devastating bushfire season of 2019 and 2020, according to scientists who have revealed for the first time the scale of the impact on the country’s native wildlife.The Guardian has learned that an estimated 143 million mammals, 180 million birds, 51 million...

For most Australians, two events of biblical solemnity will define this year: fire and plague. How should we respond?This is part of a series of essays by Australian writers responding to the challenges of 2020As soon as my partner and I completed two weeks’ quarantine after returning from Europe in late March, I went around to visit my mother. We had talked on the...