Australian Wildfire: Economic, Environmental, and Social Impacts

This report examines the global ramifications of the Australian wildfires, focusing on their economic, environmental, and social impacts. The report begins with an introduction that highlights the intensity and widespread nature of the wildfires, attributing them to factors such as climate change and extreme weather conditions. The discussion section analyzes the loss of biodiversity, the changes in climate and physical features, and the economic impacts. The wildfires resulted in extensive loss of animal and plant species, altered climate patterns, and caused significant damage to infrastructure and the economy. The report concludes by emphasizing the need for a comprehensive assessment of the long-term consequences and the importance of addressing the underlying causes of such disasters. The report includes references to support the arguments presented.

Running Head: GLOBAL RAMIFICATIONS OF THE AUSTRALIAN WILDFIRE
Global Ramifications of the Australian Wildfire
Azadpreet Sandhu
300168423
University of the Fraser valley

1GLOBAL RAMIFICATIONS OF THE AUSTRALIAN WILDFIRE
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Discussion..................................................................................................................................2
Loss of Biodiversity...............................................................................................................3
Change in Climate and Physical Features..............................................................................3
Economic Impact.......................................................................................................................4
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................4
References..................................................................................................................................6

2GLOBAL RAMIFICATIONS OF THE AUSTRALIAN WILDFIRE
Introduction
In this paper, I will argue that the global ramifications of the Australian wildfires
because there will be an economic impact and the assessment of the impact on the different
parts of the society. Wildfires impacted many different countries around the world. Australia,
as a geographical location and the shaping of the continent, owes it to the bush fire and the
hot and humid condition of the place. However, the recent Wildfire was not something
Australia, or for a matter of fact, the world was ready for, and it rummaged and destroyed
everything on its way. Several factors are estimated to be the reason for the outbreak of the
fire in such intensity and covering and spreading large areas. The country reportedly
experienced its hottest summer with days in January recording upto three digits temperature,
and the bush fires started in the southeast of Australia (Gramlin, 2020). It was the first strange
event of the year, which took the shape of the most significant wildfires in history. The
different climatic reasons, along with human interaction and influence on the changing
climate that the country witnessed destruction, which ranged from the loss of life,
infrastructure, and even economy. The paper will trace the destruction caused by the Wildfire
and the different parts of the society that has been affected and will be bearing the cost of the
Wildfire for a long time to come.
Discussion
The Australian Wildfire, which broke out as a regular bush fire experienced by the
country annually, quickly lost control and spread from forest to cities and has been reported
to have burned for two hundred and forty days before the country could be declared free of
wildfires. An estimated eleven million hectares of the land was engulfed in the Wildfire at the
cost of millions of animals and plants live, loss of infrastructure, and above all, loss of human
lives approximately around 34 out of which forty percent were firefighters themselves
(Gramlin, 2020). Now that the fire is over, the country is nowhere near equipped to fight the

3GLOBAL RAMIFICATIONS OF THE AUSTRALIAN WILDFIRE
disastrous effect of the disaster. There are several serious ramifications which are in the
process of assessment by officials and can be studied under different categories such as loss
of biodiversity, change in climate condition, potential loss of native fauna and flora species,
changes in the water resource as a result of the overheating as well as the destruction inflow
due to debris and the economic impacts. There is no denying the fact that there is going to be
a significant role required by the government to pay in order to restore the normal working of
the society with the modifications needed in order to rectify the past mistakes.
Loss of Biodiversity
The Wildfire consumed more the ten million hectares of land in which more than
seventy percent were forest areas were burnt, showing the loss of species of animals and
plants, which were a massive part of the ecosystem engineer who influenced the change in
the climate of the country (Fedirka, 2020). In the case of animals, according to Hayward et al.
shows the working of the various mammals whose activity directly changes the course and
the effect of the Wildfire and its consequences (Hayward, et al., 2016 pp. 492). Wildfire is
now one of the most significant issues in Australia in terms of the after disaster management
in the land. The primary contributing change which is influenced by the mammals are leaf
littering and grazing and accumulating. Herbivores animals are considered to be the primary
influencer for their consumption of foliage removes fuel for the fire, which reduces the
spread. Another influence that will alter the climate is the animals who are dependent on food
will run towards the water, which is available in minimal quantity due to the increase in
temperature (Hayward, et al., 2016). Their consumption will further lead to drought, which
Australia has been experiencing in many regions since 2017. It has also resulted in the vain
attempt of the government of having to take the hard decision of killing the native animal,
such as the feral camel, to save water (Gramlin, 2020). In return, after the fire, the loss of

4GLOBAL RAMIFICATIONS OF THE AUSTRALIAN WILDFIRE
species of the herbivores animals influencing the littering and grazing of the leaves is
furthered deteriorated further.
Change in Climate and Physical Features
The most common phenomenon which is experienced after a wildfire is unpredictable
rain and flood, which is the primary cause of concern for the Australian government. The first
line of concern is due to the fact the fire burnt the catchment of the principal rivers such as
Murrumbidgee and Murray, and these rivers form an essential part of the drinking water
distribution to the urban cities nearby (Alexandra, & Finlayson, 2020). It raises the stake of
the concern as the risk of another outbreak of disease could be on the way if the stabilizing
and treatment approach is not taken. Another cause of the issue is raised by the fact that this
fire broke into rainforests and evergreen forests, which hardly ever catches fire. It also means
that the soil has been exposed, and there is an urgent need for afforestation to ensure the
upper layer of the soil to be eroded by flood and rain.
Economic Impact
The fire consumed more than six thousand buildings in the urban cities consuming
other luxuries such as malls, cars, social and religious places, as well as the loss technical
equipment in case of the loss of two helicopters in the accident and the air-water tanker due
to the temperature of the fire (Fedirka, 2020). The first commodity which is clear is the loss
of jobs and infrastructure. As whole cities were engulfed, people were forced to abandon their
homes with the bare minimum, making them dependent on government (Volkova, et al.,
2019). The destruction of the fire caused the medical expenses to go up in both humans and
animals, with animals being the more severely hit. It leads to the loss of smaller companies
left with other options but to close their gate, leaving more people on the road and dependent

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on the government. However, the government is laden with the insurance claims being the
hope of the people; the loss of the liquid money becomes harder to crunch.
Conclusion
The Australian Wildfire was not the only warning of the change in the climatic
condition and the shift in the ecosystem. However, the previous Amazon fire was also
responsible for the loss of the rainforest of the world. One can see from the impact of the
Wildfire that the world cannot cope with this kind of natural disaster, which can be controlled
with human activities. The assessment of the ramification which Australia, as well as the
world, has to pay in terms of natural, economical as well as political is yet to be assessed
entirely; however, the initial understanding lays bare the fact that the ecosystem will develop
and sustain as it has been. However, it will not be the same we are used to living.

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References
Alexandra, J., & Finlayson, C. M. (2020). Floods after bushfires: rapid responses for reducing
impacts of sediment, ash, and nutrient slugs. Australasian Journal of Water
Resources, 1-3.
Dowdy, A. J., Ye, H., Pepler, A., Thatcher, M., Osbrough, S. L., Evans, J. P., & McCarthy,
N. (2019). Future changes in extreme weather and pyroconvection risk factors for
Australian wildfires. Scientific reports, 9(1), 1-11.
Fedirka, A. (2020). The Geopolitical Consequences of Australia’s Wildfires. Retrieved 3
April 2020, from https://geopoliticalfutures.com//pdfs/the-geopolitical-consequences-
of-australias-wildfires-geopoliticalfutures-com.pdf
Gramlin, C. (2020). Australia’s wildfires have now been linked to climate change. Retrieved
3 April 2020, from https://www.sciencenews.org/article/australia-wildfires-climate-
change
Hayward, M. W., Ward‐Fear, G., L'Hotellier, F., Herman, K., Kabat, A. P., & Gibbons, J. P.
(2016). Could biodiversity loss have increased Australia's bushfire threat?. Animal
Conservation, 19(6), 490-497.
Hoffmann, A. A., Rymer, P. D., Byrne, M., Ruthrof, K. X., Whinam, J., McGeoch, M., &
Hill, S. J. (2019). Impacts of recent climate change on terrestrial flora and fauna:
Some emerging Australian examples. Austral Ecology, 44(1), 3-27.
Volkova, L., Roxburgh, S. H., Surawski, N. C., Meyer, C. M., & Weston, C. J. (2019).
Improving reporting of national greenhouse gas emissions from forest fires for

7GLOBAL RAMIFICATIONS OF THE AUSTRALIAN WILDFIRE
emission reduction benefits: An example from Australia. Environmental science &
policy, 94, 49-62.