FIREFIGHTERS and bushfire survivors from Australia, Canada, Turkey and the USA have today made powerful statements at COP26 to remind world leaders of the horrific toll of climate change.
On Adaptation, Loss and Damage day, bushfire survivors gathered outside the Australian pavilion to share their stories of losing property and fearing for their own lives. They urged all governments to take significant and urgent steps to cut emissions this decade.
Australian Jo Dodds, President of the Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action, is at COP26 and said:
“I represent bushfire survivors, I bring with me the voices of the many thousands of Australians who have felt the effects of catastrophic fires firsthand. We need hope. There’s no recovery, no resilience, no renewal without hope. I’ve come to COP26 here in Glasgow to plead for that hope. Because a vague 2050 target does not bring us hope, it does not bring us the emission cuts we need. It brings us only more despair.
“I’m standing here today with people from across the world – from Australia, California and from the US – to call on world leaders to address these horrific fires at their root cause: the burning of fossil fuels. We now know that when you can see the fire, it’s too late. Now is the time to act.”
Hannah Parris is an Australian living overseas whose parents’ house burnt down in the Black Summer fires. Her parents’ home in New South Wales was destroyed in the Black Summer fire storm of 2019-2020. She said:
“The fire was so intense that literally nothing could be salvaged from the wreckage. We lost precious family photos and items handed down from our mothers and grandmothers that they took with them when they fled as refugees 90 years ago. Our heirlooms escaped and survived Nazi Germany, but couldn’t survive an Australian summer.”
Speaking from Australia, Climate Councillor and founder of ELCA, Greg Mullins said:
“Whether you’re in Los Angeles, Vancouver or Sydney, those of us who hold hoses know just how dangerous climate change has become. What we witnessed during our Black Summer was hell on earth. Fires were so ferocious they created their own weather systems, lightning storms and fire tornadoes. Even with the best firefighting technology on the planet, blazes driven by extreme weather cannot be controlled.
“No-one wants to go through that again, but unfortunately, because of climate change, we will.
“Our ad – which will be seen by many influential delegates at COP26 – sends a message that we need drastic emissions cuts this decade to protect life, property, and the environment. Unfortunately, in Australia, our government seems intent on making things worse by clinging to polluting fossil fuels.
“Time has run out and there can be no more excuses or meaningless slogans. It’s time to wake up and smell the smoke.”
