Embracing the Complexity of Bushfire in the Pyrocene

Actually, it’s more complicated than that. While we’ve thankfully avoided anything like the extent and ferocity of the Black Summer fires, the last two relatively wet years have still seen hundreds of fires – some with significant impacts – across the Australian landscape, as verified by agency and satellite records.

It’s not only Australia. The planet is burning as we speak, with thousands of active fires concentrated in the tropics…So where are the sirens? Where are the headlines?

Even now in wet NSW, the Fires Near Me app currently lists 11 incidents, 3 of which are out of control. And it’s not only Australia. The planet is burning as we speak, with thousands of active fires concentrated in the tropics, varying fuel