It has been more than three weeks now and Australia is still burning. I was in a state of agitation and edginess before they started and did not know why - then at the first days of the fires I understood it was this incident.
It is my fourth year in Sydney and I already know that we have fires every year and the city gets the smoke for a few days. Nobody takes that as an extraordinary event here. When I told my friends that I feel this one is different they all thought I think so because I am a newbie Australian. Turned out it was not the case. Sydney is now under smoke for three weeks. Every day we wake up to a greenish sky, the sun looming behind a thick filter of smoke - the light turning into an unnatural yellowish orange around 16:00 which feels like its already sunset time in a summers day. There is very strong smell of burning wood 24/7 and everybody wears masks. Even in the big city everyone is aware now that something serious is happening.
And it is not about Sydney - it is about an immense area of nature burning - some news resources say it is four times bigger than the amazon fires. Koalas, who were announced as practically extinct before, are already expected to go extintinct in their natural environment after this event and we don't know what the aftermath will be for many other animal and plant species.
My psyche is in mourning. Can't help feeling that way. and I know this feeling very well. It tells me it is not going to end here. And not just here in Australia, because:
It seems like Australia will be one of the countries that get the effects of climate change earlier than many other places. But the energy of the planetary chain of climate change is accelerating. The change in the magnitude of all natural disasters for worse are a sign. I feel like every government who is subject to it is trying to prevent panic and opposition and they are aware of what is coming. While we get caught in the destiny of show monkeys like Trump and others, something much more serious is hitting us right now. I think we have to shift the central focus of our visions and clairvoyance because all political issues that are to come will only be the outcomes of climate change (geographical shift of liveable areas), water scarcity, war on fossil fuels, immigration and rising nationalism. Even politics itself will change into something we can not anticipate by just focusing on the flow of current events. We have to focus on what THAT change will be. Sometimes I sound like too much of a pessimist even to myself but, I know that things have come and passed the point of no return.
Love to all
Wow! What a powerful post Ernie. Thank you for your words about Australia and her horrible fires right now and the problems facing Sydney, her people and the animal world. Thank you for reminding us of the broader picture. Americans tend to forget the world does not revolve around themselves . We are facing a big crisis politically and our leader is a threat to fabric our national (and the world due to his actions and misdeeds regarding the environment and to peoples of all nations) but we are only a puzzle piece n a very large and fragile world.
Your thought to shift our focus contains much wisdom.
Over the past few weeks I have noticed a surge (no, a tidal wave really) of media articles about the environment and the crisis we are facing. Dire predictions from the experts and in a variety of areas of concern. My mind has taken note and as each new article and study is published I have found myself whispering "another one?"
It is not a coincidence. This tsunami of climate catastrophe messages is happening for a purpose. I believe it is becoming a drum beat, like one found in a drum circle. The circle is getting larger and each beat is finally being played together, separate beats creating one united song. The purpose of the song is to reach everyone, to sing to to the souls of earth's people. It is a spiritual message.
The drums were still beating, persistent and
unchanging. Their sound was no longer a separate
thing from the living village. It was like the pulsation of
its heart. It throbbed in the air, in the sunshine, and even
in the trees and filled the village with excitement.
— from Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart
This is what is happening right now.
Here is the most recent article I could find on the current situation of the horrible wildfires near Sydney. The fires are apparently too big to put out and are located just an hour north of Sydney.
Canada and the US are sending firefighters. But truly, how much at this point can they do? This is apocalyptic and beyond devastating. Basically the the fires are on the entire coastline of new South Wales which is over 1,328 miles in length. Compare that to the entire coastlines of Washington, Oregon and California combined at 1293 miles in length. This doesn't include what is burning in Queensland north of NSW. These nearly 150 fires in Australia go inland a great deal too and surround Sydney on all sides.
As of a few days ago, 10% of NSW national parks and 20% of the World Heritage Blue Mountains have been burnt.
@erkmen-savaskan, I am holding you, the other members on our site from Australia and all Australian people, animals and nature in love and light. God Bless Australia.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-50690633
Even politics itself will change into something we can not anticipate by just focusing on the flow of current events. We have to focus on what THAT change will be.
I absolutely agree with this point, and that's why I've long been writing on this site that social changes coming in the future will proceed at exponential rates. Climate change is already proceeding exponentially, so we can expect to see the same in culture and politics from here on out. But this view does not have to be pessimistic. Exponential changes in complex systems are also known as phase shifts, and within phase shifts, even a slight change in any given variable can drastically change the entire outcome. So any nudge towards a more positive trajectory can bring about the more beautiful world we all yearn for.
Thank you, Ernie, for sharing your intuition about these fires in Australia. I have family there and the evacuations I saw for that area have happened already. While reading your post, the comments you made about governments resonated with me. There are changes coming in governments due to climate change and our struggles to survive. Show monkeys like the orange one are not the story even though they shock and appall us. While we fear them and the impact of their tragic, self-deluded decisions, they are not the end game. The end game is dealing with climate change. Peace and love to you Down Under.
It is still happening! Right now extreme heat is taking place, around 105 degrees in some areas of NSW with fires continuing out of control.
. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-50837025
I hit the like button, but you know what I mean. I worry about my family dealing with the tremendous heat and smoke from the fires.
I can't believe how long this has been happening. May your family members be safe and healthy and may the fires end quickly.
It just gets worse.
Pick a "C" word. Catastrophic, Cataclysmic, Calamity, they all fit.
4,000 fled to beach as emergency siren warning blares. No way in or out as town burns in Mallacoota, Victoria. There are 10 fires burning in this region, 3 of which have been burning for over a month.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/30/australia/australia-mallacoota-beach-fire-intl-hnk-scli/index.html