Haze on Sydney Harbour

[Matilda]

The view of the Harbour Bridge (it is there, if you look very hard). The top temperature in the north, where I live and work, got to 39C today, but out west it hit 47C, the highest temperature ever recorded in Sydney.

The smoke haze is hazardous to health for those who suffer from asthma and other lung ailments, but this is only the second day I've really felt it - just the most dreadful smell everywhere, which makes you feel a bit ill. For the first time, we're seeing a lot of people wearing P2 masks to shield themselves from the haze. You'd think you were in Beijing.

Meanwhile, our illustrious PM Morrison refuses to acknowledge that climate change has anything to do with the current situation and refuses to meet with fire chiefs to discuss a strategy for the future. But the fire chiefs want to talk about climate change, so Morrison ran away on holiday to an undisclosed location, which we all know is Waikiki. He's really not very bright, our PM.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. I just sent messages to my two friends in Australia, asking them how the fires are affecting them.

It's interesting that so far neither one has posting anything about them.

[Matilda]

2. At this point,

it's mainly NSW and southern Queensland, with some smaller fires in W.A. Summer has only just begun, and Christmas through to end of January is the real bushfire season. A lot of the fires are to do with dry conditions from drought, plus deforestation in those two states. S.A. also has drought conditions, and I did hear of some fires breaking out in the Barossa today, so I think there may be worse to come.

Where do your friends live?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

3. They are both in or near Sydney.

It will probably be a while before I hear from them, and I hope I remember to post in this thread when I do.

[Matilda]

4. Please do.

Sydney itself isn't on fire, but they've come within about two hours' drive from Sydney. We see the haze and smell the smoke. There's no way of escaping it anywhere.

We do get Sydney fires, especially northern Sydney, where we live. But they generally start later in the summer.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

6. I've heard back from one friend.

Very smoky!! Also very hot. Lots of people have trouble breathing. Irritated eyes. You can taste it on your lips when you are outside. The inside smells of smoke. The fires are terrible. Not long ago I posted a picture where the main fires are now. So much of NSW bush has burned. So much destruction. We have a 7 day fire emergency situation at the moment.

[Matilda]

7. That's about the situation.

Weirdest Sydney summer I've ever known.

And what's sad is, so many of us just don't feel like Christmas - our tree isn't decorated yet, and we're not alone. it feels all wrong.

[Voltaire2]

5. 47c is forking hot.

That is almost 117f

[Matilda]

8. Experts are saying central Australia could become uninhabitable.

Indigenous people may become the world's first climate reugees.

But Scumo doesn't care - God will fix it. If he wants to.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

9. I believe that there are already some Pacific islands that have

been abandoned because of sea-level rise. So climate refugees are already happening.

[Matilda]

10. Yes, some people are leaving various Pacific Islands.

Others are determined to stay and hope they can find a way of surviving the sea rise,but I don't know how realistic that is.

They choose either Australia or New Zealand as their new home. Don't know how much luck they'll have in Australia, because this is a government that hates refugees, especially if the skin isn't white. But New Zealand is always hospitable, so I imagine that's where most will head for.