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Sydney has endured weeks of smoke from nearby bushfires
Australia has spent months in the grip of a bushfire emergency, as vast areas of the nation continue to burn.
Since September, blazes in eastern Australia have killed six people, destroyed more than 700 homes and blanketed towns and cities in smoke.
As the crisis rolls on, many Australians have raised concerns about the impacts of climate change in exacerbating fires.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his opponents have faced a mounting backlash over their climate policies.
How has the government responded to the fires?
Mr Morrison called them a “national disaster” this week, but he has often been accused of downplaying the severity of the crisis.
He has readily offered “thoughts and prayers” to victims, toured fire zones and praised crews – most of whom are trained but unpaid volunteers.
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Scott Morrison has been prime minister since August last year
Earlier this week, Mr Morrison rejected calls for greater funding of firefighters, saying existing resources were sufficient and that volunteers “want to be there”.
He has since pledged an additional A$11m (£5.7m; $7.5m) towards aerial firefighting.
What has the government said on climate change?
When the crisis escalated in New South Wales (NSW) last month, Mr Morrison refused to be drawn on questions about climate change – saying his “only thoughts” were with people affected by the fires.
Deputy PM Michael McCormack rejected such questions as the concerns of “raving inner-city lefties”, adding: “We’ve had fires in Australia since time began.”
More recently, Mr Morrison has acknowledged climate change as one of “many other factors” in fuelling the bushfires.
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He has dismissed direct links between the fires and his government’s policies.
“Let me be clear about this – climate change is a global challenge. Australia is playing our role as part of this global challenge,” he said on Thursday.
Why is this causing anger?
Many say they are frustrated with the government’s rhetoric on the crisis, as well as its efforts to tackle climate change.
Aside from the threat of flames, the fires have also covered populated areas in smoke – including Sydney, a city of five million people.
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Thousands of peopled protested in Sydney this week for greater climate action
Social media users have frequently complained about the smoke while directing anger at the government. Top trends this week have included “NotMyPrimeMinister” and “AustraliaBurns”.
The backlash has also manifested in large protests. On Wednesday, thousands of people took part in a “NSW is burning, Sydney is choking” demonstration.
One woman left the remains of her home, destroyed by a bushfire, outside Canberra’s Parliament last week. On them she had written: “Morrison, your climate crisis destroyed my home.”
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Dean Sewell/ Greenpeace
Melinda Plesman called for the government to take action on climate change
Much criticism has focused on the government’s support for coal-fired power plants. But the Labor opposition has also attracted anger over its pro-coal policies.
Their views are not shared by all, however. Others have placed the blame for the fires on a severe drought, the sheer amount of dry land there is to burn, and what they view as natural weather cycles.
Is it fair to blame Australia’s climate policies for exacerbating fires?
In rejecting that notion, Mr Morrison – prime minister since last year – has cited Australia’s percentage of global emissions.
“To suggest that at just 1.3% of emissions, that Australia doing something more or less would change the fire outcome this season – I don’t think that stands up to any credible scientific evidence at all,” he said recently.
But critics point out that Australia continues to have one of the highest per capita greenhouse gas emission rates globally.
This week, the 2020 Climate Change Performance Index ranked Australia last of 57 countries for its climate policy, saying it had gone backwards under the Morrison government.
The UN has also identified Australia as one of seven G20 nations needing to do more on their climate promises.
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology says climate change has exacerbated the conditions for dangerous fires in Australia.
Reporting by the BBC’s Frances Mao
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