Recent Natural Disaster and Impact on Social Life
Traditionally, physical and natural factors were regarded to be the major influencers of climatic conditions in the world. Conversely, human activities has also attributed significantly to the trends and transitions of climate patterns. In that case, climate change has connected man’s actions to the increased volume of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, hence leading to the change in climatic conditions (Albrecht 336). Resultantly, natural disasters, which have a negative impact on the social life of the people, arise. This paper critically analyses climate change in reference to a natural disaster and its effect on the social life of the victims. Moreover, this paper discusses how the government intervened to control the issue and if the action was enough for the people or not.
Climate change is a result of the most recent bushfires that attacked the tropics (Queensland). This natural disaster is a terrifying issue to the Queenslanders since it not only affected their social life but their economic conditions as well. In reference to cyclone season, federal governments and emergency departments are alarmed concerning the rapid changes of the climate, which continues to pose more devastating effects and challenges (Pascoe 392). The bushfires in Queensland took place late on a Sunday night (December 2, 2018), which was a tropical typhoon shaped in the northern coast of Queensland. The cyclone is continuously tacking over the coast, whereby more than a hundred fires are burning subsequently a week of continued unprecedented and heatwave conditions.
The tropical storms are speculated to bring a relief from the continued heatwaves, which will result to rainfall and low temperature to enable Queensland firefighters to extinguish the fire in a week. The emergency department in Queensland has mentioned the idea of not tolerating Owen tracks on the shore with respite due to their notions that the critical effect of the disaster is like a ‘horror’ event. Paul Gray, a firefighter representative in the country, the natural disaster of bushfires has transited significantly over the years (Pascoe 392). Paul further acknowledges that fires have become long-lasting and an intense happening in Queensland. The identification and ratings of bushfire scenarios in the country were recorded since 2009, which led to the introduction of bushfires safety plans and warnings to consider such disasters dangerous.
Indubitably, the changes in climatic conditions have affected and will continue to affect threaten the lives of terrestrial beings. The survival of human beings and animals in the earth are determined by the availability of necessities like food and water (Schäfer 527). For instance, when water is compromised, the production of foods will also be affected. According to the Australian Associated Press, man’s interference with water due to erosion, salt-water intrusion and inundations significantly affect the climatic conditions (“Australian Associated Pres” 1). Due to the increasing global temperatures linked to climatic transitions in tropical regions, most of the globe’s population have been faced with food shortage issues, leave alone fire outbreaks.
Another devastating effect of climatic changes is the decreasing survival of people and animals, which has also been linked to the increased cases of deteriorated health conditions of the people. In that case, the increased temperatures have been a major threat to the Queensland in the 21st century. Moreover, the effects of climate transformations on the health status of the people will continue to dwell if no action plans are implemented. The health conditions of the people become worse when there is water and food shortage. Being one of the major consequences of climatic changes, Queenslanders might find it difficult to get safe drinking water and adequate amount of clean foods to maintain their daily health life. Generally, survival in the country becomes difficult.
Impact of Climate Change on Food and Water Scarcity
The changes in climate also make a country to find it difficult to implement sustainable growth plans or any forms of development (Rummukainen 120). Sustainability enhancement and development of the economy is the capabilities of a nation to meet all the demands of its present generation without affecting the survival of the future generation. Considering how the changes in climate is affecting the ability of globe to sustain economy growth, it can be argued that sustainability plans will be hard to implement as long as human activities e.g. erosions, air and water pollution are not controlled (Purica 15). Climate change is linked to the enhancement and sustainability plans of a country, which means it is difficult to implement the country’s development when natural disasters are still issues to mitigate.
The ability of the Queensland government is control natural disasters and enhance development in the country will lead to provision of more jobs to its citizens and even increase its revenues. Indubitably, the plenty resources available in the globe are purposed from generation of revenues and creation of jobs for sustainable living. Hence, the changes in climate pose a fundamental challenge to the naturally and scarce available resources in the land and the sea in reference to intensified natural disasters like bushfires, earthquakes, storms and hurricanes (Ehsanul Kabir 4). Tropical storms in the globe have become stronger and frequent. Due to this fact, remarkable damages have been reported to infrastructures like hotels, airports, homes and roads. Resultantly, the government is left with a serious strain to seek for financial resource that will facilitate the repairing of such damages hence delaying sustainable development and growth.
The Queensland’s disaster appears to be a ‘punishment’ to the people for days. Instead of a normal heatwave that normally last for a day, the heatwaves in the country last from more than four days. This condition makes its difficult and unbearable for firefighting crews to stand down and even lose the capability to rotate. The fire crews are also operating for long hours considering the prolonged incident that has taken days to control. Hence, the disaster necessitates overseas and out-of-state interventions since it is getting more difficult to be controlled by the fire crews. The devastating bushfires in Australia occur as far as to the south of the country’s tropical rainforest region.
According to Paul, the fires in the north have lasted longer, which implies that time is limited for the emergency department to implement the floodwaters and cyclones tacks. This natural disaster has caused a wider destruction and more deaths in Queensland. As a result, the fire crews have changed their plans to acting quickly from a firefighting mindset to the floodwater one. In reference to the firefighter’s representative, it was earlier possible to predict when the flood or storm would be, but it has never been easier to predict bush fires (Barrett 1863). In that case, the rep sees the need of repurposing various vehicles that would respond to different disasters. This explains why climate change is having a significant impact on the effort of firefighters.
Impact of Climate Change on Health and Sustainability
According to Albrecht (340), climate change is connected to unprecedented atmospheric conditions are gradually becoming probable. The human activities that were regarded as normal twenty years ago are less average and abnormal currently. If a nation is experiencing unprecedented events e.g. fire outbreaks, then they are going through what (Purica 16) have been warning about. The ‘unprecedented’ term has been applied mostly to Queensland’s climatic condition since the latest bushfire outbreak. Century-recorded heatwaves have been evident in the Northern Queensland, Cairns due to high and hot November temperatures at more than thirty-seven degree Celsius. A week before the outbreak, the temperature in Cairns was 42C. From Mondays 26 November and four days later, the temperatures were hotter that any previously recorded temperature. Hence, there is an obvious relationship between the bushfires and climate changes due to high temperatures recorded throughout the week (Australian Associated Press 02). As long as the climatic condition continues to change, the temperatures in Queensland will continue to increase. This means than the probability of getting more dangerous bushfires will be high.
According to the Climate Council in Australia, the risks of the country to record bushfires in a year had increased from 2014. The risks are now stronger and even fueled high temperatures recorded seasonally. Thus, the federal government sees into the significance of the firefighters and citizens getting ready for the severe effects of such outbreaks. According to Paul, this is another natural reality that the community should live and develop a plan for. The Australian government and the US have threatened to interrupt the long-lasting relationship between them, including the sharing of expertise, personnel and equipment. The transformation of bushfire seasons lately has raise much conflict between the two countries’ lingering fire crews who have predicted on the extreme conditions that might befall Victoria.
The way the environmental change influences the capacity of people to get by and additionally their capacity to safeguard the planet for use by future ages stretches out to a more genuine issue, which is that, it could possibly compromise our exceptionally presence. As of now, the sea level has reduced dramatically, which raises alarm to the populaces. This is unmistakably exemplified in Bangladesh where, as per specialists, salty water could reach so far inland that the development of staples, which are basic for human survival, could turn out to be extremely troublesome. Combined with this the event of typhoons has left thousands destitute, a lot increasingly and has caused boundless obliteration and flooding.
In this way, it tends to be inferred that the impacts of environmental change are a worldwide emergency reaching out to the whole circle of planet earth influencing the capacity of individuals to endure, be supportable and unavoidably even exist (“Wildfires|CDC”). Many natural disasters have occurred, which underscores the criticalness of the impacts of environmental change. The extraordinary climate designs, which are as of now being experienced when contrasted with past decades, can be accentuated utilizing various models from everywhere throughout the world. What is most amazing about this issue is that people add to its motivation by engaging in activities like erosion. It is much unexpected, that in our mission to enhance the nature of our lives here on earth, we are the basic reason for the annihilation of the simple earth that is our wellspring of survival. In this manner, it is unquestionably clear that pressing advances should be utilized to battle the issues caused by environmental change (Issar 32). Individuals need to attempt to address the mistake of our courses since our capacity to endure and keep on existing here on earth fundamentally relies upon it.
Impact of Climate Change on Economic Development
Queenslander believed that the entire town is going. There is a sort of bushfire nobody can endure; the sort we could scarcely consider until 10 years back. Before the cataclysmic Black Saturday fires in Victoria, which killed 173 individuals in February 2009, inhabitants were prompted they could stay in their homes and protect their property (“BBC News”). The mantra was leave early, or remain, to a limited extent to maintain a strategic distance from the threats of having individuals freeze and escape with a fire front drawing closer. In Queensland a week ago, crisis administrations utilized displaying created in Victoria after Black Saturday to dispatch a few across the board departures. The biggest was in the town of Gracemere, close Rockhampton, where around 8,000 individuals were advised to go.
Dabron, the organization administrator at the Gracemere Hotel, remained around the local area. He and others watched movement bank up around the local area and stay stationary for over 60 minutes, as individuals heaped into autos and endeavored the short drive to Rockhampton (Schäfer 527). When evening time came, they had a decent view from the bar towards Kabra, there is none of that sparkle, and there was no fire. The people believed they were fine. They lay down with one eye open as a sanity check (Slocum 2). Many people have experienced this previously, so as a rule, people have something to anticipate. The dread set in when individuals whined that the entire town was going down. The Tropic of Capricorn goes through Gracemere conditions turned when the tropical wetness all of a sudden dropped – joined with record high temperatures and savage breezes, the fixings to fuel the most perilous heatwaves.
As argued by the administration of Queensland, the citizens do not need to live in the bramble to be disturbed by bushfire. The government urges the people to be close enough to benefit from the proposed action plan and avoid the effects of coal and smoke. All Queenslanders ought to be acquainted with the authority bushfire admonitions levels and have a complete bushfire survival plan for activity (“Queensland Fires: 105 Active Blazes Across State”). At the point when there is a bushfire in your general vicinity, the government states that it is your duty to pay heed, look for data, and settle on choices and act strategically.
The Acting Prime Minister Michael McCormack promises that the Federal Government will analyze whether enough was done to plan for Queensland’s bushfires by controlled action plans and different measures (Oldfield 513-524). Mr. McCormack who has quite recently attempted a voyage through bushfires desolated areas west of Mackay additionally uncovered the disaster had consumed 527,000 hectares over the state. Asked whether enough had been done to keep the Queensland fires, Mr. McCormack affirmed local people had grumbled and hailed an itemized appraisal of the circumstance. Neighboring individuals have revealed to that they might want to see even more back burning and some administration issues done. When we take a seat, with the best possible specialists at a state, nearby and administrative dimension, we will clearly have those discourses, and clearly, they are an issue for the community particularly for the state government (“Natural Disasters: Earthquakes, Hurricanes, Volcanoes, Tsunamis, Epidemics”). There are yet numerous bushfires wearing out of control yet in a sensibly contained manner.
The truth of the matter is that the people are still all extremely stressed over the climate actuality and government action plan since it is still hot in various towns with temperatures reading over 42C. The little township of Karara about 180km south-west of Brisbane has risen as the new battleground for Queensland firefighters, with a burst picking up pace only the north and nearby inhabitants advised to plan to take off. While on the Central Queensland Coast, a fire that has been undermining regions for as far back as four days increased new energy this evening setting off a plan to leave a notice for Winfield, about 60km north-west of Bundaberg.
As the vast majority of Queensland endures under a tireless heatwave and more than 100 bushfires, a low-pressure scheme has been gauge to approach the affected regions. There is a high shot a low-weight framework off the northeastern drift will form into a tropical tornado, to be named Cyclone Owen, adding to a developing rundown of climate occasions influencing individuals in Queensland. Specialists and authors of a website titled “Current Bushfires” it will be days before extreme conditions ease over the state, with an estimate of dry lightning expanding the possibility of more bushfires, which have led to more deaths.
Conclusion
In conclusion, climate change and increased temperatures in the globe will continue to have negative effects to human beings and other living creatures. In reference to the daily economic and industrial actions that people depend on to sustain their lives, economists and biologist argue that the evident changes in climate has been brought by such activities like deforestation, fossil fuel combustion and other industrial activities (Schäfer 530). Therefore, the people need to collaborate and aim at mitigating climate change challenges in order to enhance sustainability living currently and for the future generations’ sake. As long as the temperatures continue to rise, the life of living organism will continue to decrease. However, when effective action plans are incorporated, the world would be a better place to be in.
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