Published 19:39 IST, December 21st 2019
Australia's temperature intensifies, heat maps run out of colours
Temperatures in Australia have become so extreme that the record for the hottest day in Australian history was beaten on two consecutive days on December 21.
Temperatures in Australia have become so extreme that the record for the hottest day in Australian history was beaten on two consecutive days. The severe heatwave that has gripped Australia has seen temperatures reaching as high as 41C in some regions of the country.
New South Wales has been under a state of emergency where more than 100 fires have erupted and health-related problems have increased at an alarming rate. Hospital admissions have increased due to the severe heat and smoke.
Heatwave intensifies across Australia
The heatwave has tremendously intensified across Australia which resulted in meteorological maps to struggle and the maps have effectively run out of colours. The weather bureau of Australia has expected that the temperatures in southern and central Australia could increase between eight and sixteen degrees higher than the temperatures usually expected at this time of year.
Australia's Deputy Prime Minister has announced that the country must do more when it comes to combating climate change. Michael McCormack also stated that the bushfires ravaging through Australia are a major cause of the change in sentiment of the Australian populace.
Coal provides two-third of Australia's energy
McCormack who is the acting Prime Minister while Scott Morrison is on vacation in Hawaii also linked the deadly bush fires to a host of other causes like dry lightning strikes and self-combusting manure. The acting prime minister also said that the former fire chiefs who had criticized the government over its inaction were being funded by environmental campaigners.
During a press interaction, McCormack said that he believes further action is needed to tackle the climate crisis but did not share what exactly the government plans on doing.
While speaking to the media, McCormack took a strong stance against those in Australia that have been calling for an end to coal mining but also acknowledged that the burning of coal was a factor in Climate change. As justification, McCormack said that coal provided two-third of all of Australia's energy and that if they were to stop using coal they would have no alternative.
Updated 21:39 IST, December 21st 2019