After the Fires

As I write this, Australia is burning. Smoke from the bushfires has now encircled the globe. An area larger than Scotland has been burned with incalculable cost to nature, and the damage to Australia’s economy has not even begun to be assessed.

Yet there is a silver lining. Of course, sitting nearly sixteen thousand kilometers from Sydney, that’s easier for me to say than for someone whose home, farm and livestock have all been destroyed. But there truly is a silver lining which will benefit all mankind.

Not since World War Two have we seen continent-wide devastation of such magnitude. Not to belittle the frequent horrors of earthquake, flood and tsunami visited upon the third world, but there is an important difference. This is not the third world. This is Australia, a powerhouse amongst middle economies. This is the Australia of expressways and skyscrapers and universities, whose young people travel the world as a natural part of coming of age. This is Australia whose research and technology is second to none. This is also Australia where roughly 4% of the GNP comes from the export of coal and whose current government scoffs at the notion of climate change.

Things happen when a homogeneous, educated and prosperous society finds itself at the gates of Hell. “Business as usual” is no longer acceptable. Climate change is no longer debatable or someone else’s problem. It’s here, it’s now, and it’s terrifying.

We can therefore confidently expect Australian society to elect new leaders who will not only reject any ambiguity about climate change, but will demonstrably put the country on a war footing to face the foe with the grit and determination of 1942-1945. And that is good for all of us.

We can expect to see leading-edge research and technology in all areas of renewable energy, climate adaptation and remediation. We can expect to see, at a grass-roots level, significant changes in the daily habits of a first-world nation. We can expect that Australia’s voice will be clear and loud. A nation which is “one of us” has now had a real taste of what awaits us all, and it will not be in vain.