Australia fires could be linked to global warming

(Vatican Radio) The bushfire threat to Australia’s Blue Mountains was averted today, and evacuated residents were allowed to return home for the moment. But Shane Fitzsimmons, the Rural Fire Service Commissioner of New South Wales, warned that the crisis is far from over, with unfavourable weather conditions predicted for the next few days.

Meanwhile, debate rages over the impact of climate change on the likelihood of major fires. Listen to Giulia Cirillo's report:

71 fires in total are burning across the state of New South Wales, more than 3000 firefighters continue to battle the flames, and hundreds of homes have already been destroyed. With major bushfires rarely occurring so early on in the warmer season, the ongoing crisis has been linked to changing environmental conditions caused by global warming.

The scientific debate has moved into the political arena as well, with Deputy Green’s Leader Adam Bandt claiming that the government’s climate policies could cause more bushfires. Australia’s new Prime Minister Tony Abbott is set to repeal the carbon tax imposed by the previous Labour administration on the country’s 300 biggest polluters. He told a radio station in Melbourne today that climate change is not connected to bushfires, and that fire is part of the Australian experience.