Editors’ Choice

2020 Skyscraper Competition
Dong Yuxiang, Huang Shoubang, Xiao Yenan, Huang Yu

Australia, China

Unprecedented Bushfires

Australia is a continent familiar with bushfires, bushfire management and the importance of fires in regenerating the land. The indigenous people have long known the importance of fire management and how it contributes to the health of ecosystems. Bushfires are a well-understood threat, but the fires now burning across the nation have been described as “unprecedented” in their ferocity and scale.
The Dangers Of Bushfires

Catastrophic and unprecedented bushfires in Australia have killed many people, destroyed thousands of homes and burned hundreds of thousands of hectares of land, causing massive devastation to wildlife, ecosystems and the environment. There is also a horrifying feedback loop that occurs when great swaths of land are ablaze, As the number of fires increase, greenhouse gas emissions do too. Bushfires release carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. In just three months, Australia’s fires are estimated to have released 350 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. Experts warn a century or more will be needed to absorb the carbon dioxide released. In fact?widespread bushfires in Australia have been contributing to one of the largest increases in CO2 levels in the Earth’s atmosphere since records began to be kept more than 60 years ago. As the temperature increases, extreme weath...