How a fire-smart and water-rich succulent garden could help save your home
By Tamara Clark, Rebekah Lowe, and Fiona Parker
As bushfires become more frequent, scientists say garden beds can be a line of defence.
#Gardens #Fires #Bushfires #Plants #TamaraClark #RebekahLowe # #FionaParker
Residents urged to evacuate as bushfire burns in central-east Victoria
Residents in a remote Victorian community have been urged to evacuate as a nearby fire continues to burn out of control.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-20/bushfire-gaffneys-creek-woods-point/106370296
The heat suffocates, the fires rage – even by Australian standards, this summer is brutal https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/19/australia-heatwave-bushfires-climate-crisis-fossil-fuels #Environment #AustraliaNews #ClimateCrisis #ExtremeHeat #Bushfires #Wildlife #ExtremeWeather
Farmers, volunteers want clarity on fire risk from WWII-era explosives
By Joanna Prendergast
Residents are calling for clarity and action over the risk of unexploded WWII ordnance after a popular wildflower reserve was torched in WA's Midwest.
#Bushfires #NatureReserves #WorldWarII #Weather #JoannaPrendergast
Emergency bushfire warning for area south of Launceston
The Tasmania Fire Service has issued an emergency bushfire warning for an area south of Launceston, with helicopters and ground crews in attendance.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-17/bushfire-warning-for-area-south-of-launceston/106355122
Halls Gap businesses embrace change after bushfire devastation
By Tamara Clark
After two consecutive summers devastated by bushfires, businesses in the region are reinventing themselves to stay afloat.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-16/halls-gap-pomonal-tourism-bushfire-recovery/106331718
#TravelandTourism #TourismandLeisureIndustry #Bushfires #RegionalCommunities #TamaraClark
Overlapping disaster seasons change the nature of emergency resourcing
By Costa Haritos
With fires and floods occurring simultaneously, and overlapping with international deployments, sharing critical resources is becoming an increasingly complex task.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-15/emergency-resources-bushfires/106340108
To enrich a few while harming the rest of us
"Rollback of government’s ability to limit climate-heating pollution from vehicles will make families ‘sicker and less safe’..Trump’s EPA repeals landmark climate finding in gift to ‘billionaire polluters’."
"Repealing the Endangerment Finding takes Orwellian governance to new heights and invites enormous damage to people and property around the world."
"The final rule removes the government’s ability to impose requirements to track, report and limit climate-heating pollution from cars and trucks. Transportation is the largest source of climate pollution in the US."
“If this reckless decision survives legal challenges, it will lead to more deadly wildfires, more extreme heat deaths, more climate-driven floods and droughts, and greater threats to communities nationwide – all while the EPA dismisses the overwhelming science that has protected public health for decades.'
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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/12/trump-epa-rollback-pollution-regulation-endangerment-finding
#FossilFuel #FossilFuelLobby #cars #cars #cars #trucks #pollution #harm #PublicHealth #endangerment #heatwaves #Bushfires #floods #droughts #climate
Historic 'nation-building' bridges lost during Victorian bushfires
By Sarah Krieg
Volunteers are weighing the future of the High Country Rail Trail after the loss of 12 historic trestle bridges — and decades of work — to bushfires.
Farmers lay blame for devastating fires at WA government's feet
By Tara de Landgrafft, Mark Bennett, and Andrew Williams
Farmers and volunteer firefighters say decades of neglect by WA's Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions is at the heart of fires that ripped through more than 200,000 hectares of state-managed land.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-11/fitzgerald-river-bushfire-dbca-mismanagement/106321810
#Bushfires #EnvironmentalPolicy #EnvironmentalManagement #Volunteering #TaradeLandgrafft #MarkBennett # #AndrewWilliams
Victoria faces another day of hot, windy fire conditions amid record dry
By Melissa Brown
Victoria's parched landscape has authorities concerned amid forecasts of another day of heat and gusty winds across the state.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-10/victoria-hot-weather-warning/106326392
New bushfires a stark reminder that Black Summer recovery still not over
By Toby Hemmings, Jacinta Counihan, and Vanessa Milton
Residents who lived through the 2019-20 bushfires on the NSW South Coast say this summer's fires triggered traumatic memories, and highlighted the recovery and resilience projects that remain unfinished.
#DisasterReconstruction #Bushfires #TelecommunicationsServicesIndustry #CommunityOrganisations #TobyHemmings #JacintaCounihan # #VanessaMilton
Heatwave conditions to return for SEQ ahead of weekend showers
By Josh Dye
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting "locally severe heatwave conditions" from Tuesday, culminating in a maximum of 35 degrees in Brisbane on Thursday.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-09/queensland-weather-heat-showers/106319132
#Weather #Rain #WeatherPhenomena #Droughts #Floods #Environment #Agriculture #Bushfires #JoshDye
'Oblivious' bush ravers putting themselves and locals at risk
By Madigan Landry and Andrew Collins
Authorities are increasingly concerned with the fire risk posed by unsanctioned raves, known as bush doofs, held in WA's state forests and national parks.
Workers raced to warn homeless living in bushland of fires and heat
By Charlotte Wilkes
In the days leading up to an extreme heatwave hitting Victoria, outreach workers raced against time to alert as many rough sleepers in bushland as possible.
Vehicles and other combustion machines are sparking bushfires along the arterial road network
"People needed to be mindful of mechanical faults in vehicles and equipment as temperatures hit the high 30s this weekend." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-07/dashcam-footage-shows-roadside-fires-flaring-up/106308474
#bushfires #cars #roads #degradation #AgriculturalLandscapes #FossilFuels #Climate #heatwaves #vehicles
Drivers urged to be cautious as footage shows roadside fires flaring up
By Philippe Perez and Sandra Moon
Dashcam footage of grass fires starting on the side of a road in Victoria shows how quickly they can begin.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-07/dashcam-footage-shows-roadside-fires-flaring-up/106308474
Bushfire downgrade for blaze impacting Perth hills residents
Fire authorities downgrade a bushfire in Darlington and Helena Valley as it becomes stationary but not controlled.
New resource launches to help people support the bushfire relief effort
By Claudia Forsberg
A new online resource aims to make it easier for people to contribute to bushfire relief efforts across Victoria.
#Bushfires #Volunteering #Charities #CommunityOrganisations #ClaudiaForsberg
Small persistent humid forest clearings drive tropical forest biomass losses
"Tropical forests store about half of the global forest above ground carbon (AGC), yet extensive areas are affected by disturbances, such as deforestation from agricultural expansion and degradation from fires, selective logging, and edge effects...Findings highlight the disproportionate impact of small clearings on tropical carbon losses, suggesting the need to curb land-use changes and protect young and recovering forests."
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Xu, Y., Ciais, P., Santoro, M. et al. Small persistent humid forest clearings drive tropical forest biomass losses. Nature 649, 375–380 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09870-7 (paywall)
#Deforestation #Climate #LoggingImpacts #degradation #FCNSW #NSWLogging #PostHarvestBurn #DeliberatelyBurningAForest #EPA #MicroClimate #bushfires #NativeForests #AGC #BookkeepingApproach #ESA #TropicalForests #biodiversity
