39 St&ENS Linh TruongKhanh EnglishInArticlesAboutAustralia'sBushfires June 18th 2021

ACADEMY OF JOURNALISM AND COMMUNICATION
Faculty of Foreign Languages
English in Articles about Australia’s bushfires on

Reuters, CNN and The Guardian
(An assignment on Stylistics and English Newspaper

Style)
By: Truong Khanh Linh – ETE39
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Huong
HANOI, 2019
0
1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 3
1.1. RATIONALE........................................................................................................................... 3
1.2. AIMS OF THE STUDY .............................................................................................................. 3
1.3. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY ................................................................................................... 3
1.4. METHODS OF THE STUDY ...................................................................................................... 3
1.5. DESIGN OF THE STUDY .......................................................................................................... 4
2. TYPICAL STRUCTURE OF AN ARTICLE ON “AUSTRALIA’S BUSHFIRES” ON REUTERS,
CNN, AND THE GUARDIAN ............................................................................................................. 4
2.1. HEADLINES........................................................................................................................... 4
2.2. LEADS.................................................................................................................................. 4
2.3. BODIES ................................................................................................................................ 4
2.4. ENDINGS .............................................................................................................................. 4
3. LINGUISTIC FEATURES OF ARTICLES ON “AUSTRALIA’S BUSHFIRES” ON REUTERS,
CNN AND THE GUARDIAN ............................................................................................................ 25
3.1. SYNTACTICAL FEATURES OF ARTICLES ON “AUSTRALIA’S BUSHFIRES ON REUTERS, CNN AND
THE GUARDIAN............................................................................................................................... 25
3.1.1. Headlines in articles on “Australia’s Bushfires” on Reuters, CNN and The Guardian
25
3.1.2. Structure of headlines .............................................................................................. 26
3.1.3. Omission................................................................................................................... 29
3.1.4. Headline interpreting ................................................................................................ 30
3.1.5. Leads in articles on “Australia’s bushfires” on Reuters, CNN and The Guardian .... 31
3.1.6. Endings in articles on “Australia’s bushfires” on Reuters, CNN and The Guardian. 37
3.2. LEXICAL FEATURES OF ARTICLES ON “AUSTRALIA’S BUSHFIRES” ON REUTERS, CNN AND THE
GUARDIAN...................................................................................................................................... 43
3.2.1. Common vocabulary ................................................................................................ 43
3.2.2. Compound words ..................................................................................................... 46
3.2.2.1. Compound nouns in 20 articles ......................................................................................... 46
3.2.2.2. Compound Adjectives in 20 articles ................................................................................... 48
3.2.2.3. Compound Verbs in 20 articles .......................................................................................... 50
3.3. STYLISTIC DEVICES IN ARTICLES ABOUT “AUSTRALIA’S BUSHFIRES” ON REUTERS, CNN AND THE
GUARDIAN...................................................................................................................................... 51
3.3.1. Lexical Stylistic devices ............................................................................................ 51
3.3.2. Syntactical Stylistic Devices ..................................................................................... 53
4. RELATIONS BETWEEN PARTS OF ARTICLES ABOUT “AUSTRALIA’S BUSHFIRES” ON
REUTERS, CNN, THE GUARDIAN ................................................................................................. 60
5. EXPRESSIONS ABOUT “ENVIRONMENT” .......................................................................... 67
6. CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 68
7. REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 68
8. APPENDIX ............................................................................................................................... 71
1
2
1. Introduction
1.1. Rationale
News style, journalistic style, or news-writing style is the prose style used
for news reporting in media such as newspaper, radio, and television. At
the beginning of the article, news writers strive to answer all of the
essentials questions regarding a particular event – who, what, when,
where, why (the five Ws) as well as “how”. This arrangement is frequently
referred to as an “inverted pyramid” which decreases the significance of
information in successive paragraphs. In addition, news stories should
include at least one of the following key characteristics relative to targeted
audience: oddity, human interest, timelessness, prominence, consequence.
In this assignment, I will outline, examine and analyze thoroughly about
the structure of an article – more specifically how to understand the
structure of headline, lead, body, and ending of an article. Moreover, I will
deep dive into the topic of compound word (compound noun, adjective
and verb) in an article to understand how to form a compound and its
components. Besides that, I also analyzed stylistic and syntactical devices
in 20 articles that I chose for this assignment. I also provided some
common vocabularies for the topic “environment” that usually appeared in
newspapers. Lastly, I discussed the relations between headlines, leads,
bodies, and endings in five articles.
1.2. Aims of the study

- To understand the structure of an article
- To understand how to form a compound word in an article
- To point out and analyze stylistic and syntactical devices
- To understand the relationship between parts of articles
- To know some common newspaper vocabulary
1.3. Limitations of the study

- 20 news about “Australia’s bushfires”
1.4. Methods of the study
- Analyzing method: I will use this method to analyze the articles
3
1.5. Design of the study
This assignment will be divided into 8 parts
- Part 1: Introduction
- Part 2: Typical structure of an article
- Part 3: Linguistic features of article
- Part 4: Relations between parts of articles
- Part 5: Expression about “Environment”
- Part 6: Conclusion
- Part 7: Appendix
- Part 8: Reference
2. Typical structure of an article on “Australia’s Bushfires” on

Reuters, CNN, and The Guardian
2.1. Headlines
A headline is the main title of a newspaper story usually printed in
large letter at the top of the story.
There are two purposes of a headline: to grab the reader's attention
and to tell the readers what the story is about.
2.2. Leads
A lead is an opening paragraph that gives the audience the most
important information of the news story concisely and clearly while
still maintaining the readers’ interest. If the reader does not read
beyond your first paragraph, they should still have an idea of what
your article is about and the most important information from that
article.
2.3. Bodies
The newspaper body includes all the details of the news story and
should be split into paragraphs to help the readers digest the
information. Each paragraph tells one part of the story.
2.4. Endings
Just as feature story can be opened in many ways, there are also
several ways to conclude it:
+ The summary ending: commonly used and refers back to the
feature angle presented in the lead
4
+ The proximity ending: also common conclusion and uses
information from the preceding paragraph to provide the angle for
the closing. Often a quote is used
+ The restatement ending: reminds the reader of the feature story’s
purpose by restating it.
+ The word play ending: uses a play on words, alliteration, or a
catchy way to close feature stories and leave a lasting impression in
the readers’ mind. However, care must be taken not to overdo using
these techniques.
❖ Article 1:
Picture
Caption A wallaby eats after NSW's National Parks

and Wildlife Service staff air-dropped carrots
and sweet potatoes in bushfire-stricken areas
around Wollemi and Yengo National Parks,
New South Wales, Australia
Headline Australian tourism industry seeks urgent help
as cost of bushfires grows
Lead Australia’s peak tourism body estimated the

country’s bushfire crisis has so far cost the
industry almost approximately $1 billion ($690
million) and called for urgent help from the
government to lure back visitors.
Bodies Industry bosses were due to meet with

Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham later on
Thursday as storms and heavy rain brought
some respite from months of fierce bushfires
across Australia’s east coast
…
5
Ending Birmingham said he would seek firsthand
feedback from tourism bosses at Thursday’s
meeting and devise a strategy to reassure
visitors that many tourism destinations are
untainted by fires.
❖ Article 2:
Picture
Caption Local Will Baker cuts dead trees at the

Kangaroo Valley Bush Retreat after a
wildfire in Kangaroo Valley, New South
Wales, Australia
Headline Probe into fatal Australia bushfire plane crash
complicated by dangers
Australian officials were working on Friday

to extricate the bodies of three U.S.
firefighters from a plane that crashed in
Lead
remote bushland, as the area’s “active”
bushfire status complicated an investigation
into the accident.
Officials said it was still too early to

speculate on the cause of the crash of the C-
130 Hercules tanker plane on Thursday,
Bodies
killing its entire crew, just after it dumped a
large load of retardant on a huge wildfire in a
national park.
…
Hood said the ATSB expected to retrieve the
Endings plane’s black box cockpit voice recorder, use
a drone to 3D map the site, analyze both air
6
traffic control and the plane’s data and review
the weather at the time of the crash.
❖ Article 3:
Picture
A satellite image shows wildfires burning

Caption
East of Obrost, Victoria, Australia
Australia begins damage assessment amid

Headline
temporary respite from bushfires
Australian authorities began assessing the

damage on Sunday from heatwave-spurred
bushfires that swept through two states a day
Lead
earlier, as cooler conditions provided a
temporary respite from blazes that have
scarred the country’s east coast for weeks.
Light rain and cooler temperatures in the

southeast of the country were a welcome
change from the searing heat that has fueled
Bodies
the devastating fires, but officials warned
they were not enough to put out almost 200
fires still burning.
7
Australia has been battling blazes across
much of its east coast for months, with
experts saying climate change has been a
Ending major factor in a three-year drought that has
left much of the country’s bushland tinder-
dry and susceptible to fires.
❖ Article 4:
Picture
Smoke billows during bushfires in Buchan,

Caption
Victoria, Australia
Thousands flee fires in Australia, navy helps
Headline
evacuate the stranded
Tens of thousands of holiday makers fled

seaside towns on Australia’s east coast on
Lead Thursday as bushfires approached, and
military ships and helicopters began rescuing
thousands more trapped by the blazes.
Bodies Fueled by searing temperatures and high

winds, more than 200 fires are burning
across the southeastern states of New South
8
Wales (NSW) and Victoria, threatening
several towns.
“It is going to be a very dangerous day. It’s

going to be a very difficult day,” NSW Rural
Ending
Fire Service (RFS) Commissioner Shane
Fitzsimmons said.
❖ Article 5: Australia’s bushfires make massive clouds of pollution
Picture
A snowgun is seen at Charlotte Pass, Snowy

Caption
Moutains, New South Wales, Australia
Australia’s bushfires make massive clouds
Headline
of pollution
Smoke from Australia’s bushfires has

blanketed its major cities over the past
month, turned the sky over New Zealand
Lead
bright orange and left sooty deposits on its
glaciers and drifted across the Pacific to
South America.
Reuters used readings from NASA’s Global

Bodies Modeling and Assimilation Office showing
hourly estimates of the amount of organic
carbon released into the atmosphere to
9
create an animation showing the spread of
smoke.
“There is a long way to go in what has been

an unprecedented fire event ... we know that
Ending we have many weeks of the fire season to
run,” Daniel Andrews, the premier of
Victoria state, told a televised briefing.
❖ Article 6:
Picture
Burnt bushland on Kangaroo Island,

Caption
Australia
Australian budget surplus in doubt as
Headline bushfire funding boosted
Australia on Monday boosted emergency

funding for small businesses hit by bushfires
that have ravaged the country for months, as
Lead
the mounting costs of the disaster cast doubt
on the government’s ability to deliver a
promised budget surplus.
The fires have killed 29 people and millions
of animals, destroyed more than 2,500
homes and razed an area roughly a third the
Bodies
size of Germany since September, and
scores of fires continued to burn on the east
coast despite recent rain.
…
10
Violent hailstorms and damaging winds hit
parts of New South Wales state including
bushfire-affected coastal towns on Monday,
Ending but hot and windy conditions are forecast to
return to many parts of NSW later in the
week.
❖ Article 7:
Picture
The National Parks and Wildlife Service in

NSW says bushfires hazard reduction
Caption
occurred across more than 139.000 hectares
in 2018 and 2019
Explanier: how effective is bushfire hazard
Headline
reduction on Australia’s fires?
Claims of a Greens Conspiracy to block
Lead harzard reduction have been rejected by
bushfire experts.
Australia’s bushfire crisis started much
earlier than normal in August 2019, with
Bodies
thousands of fires in Queensland and New
South Wales.
…
1. Are greenies stopping hazard
reduction
2. How much hazard reduction has
Subtitle
happened
3. Is climate change affecting hazard
reduction?
11
4. What is climate change doing to
bushfire weather?
A study in 2019 published in the journal

Scientific Reports found that adding more
greenhouse gases to the atmosphere would
Ending create more dangerous conditions favourable
to pyroCB events in the future, particularly
for the southern parts of Australia.
❖ Article 8:
Picture
The habitat of the endangered southern

brown bandicoot has been oblierated by fire
on Kangaroo Island. It’s one of many
Caption
Australia species whose survival has been
further threatened by this summer’s
bushfires.
“Silent death”: Australia’s bushfires push
Headine countless species to extinction
Millions of animals have been killed in the

Lead fires but the impact on flora and fauna is
more grim even than individual deaths
Close to the Western River Kangaroo Island,
Pat Hodgens had set up cameras to snap the
Bodies island’s rare dunnart – a tiny mouse-like
marsupial that exists nowhere else on the
planet.
…
12
“There are a whole lot of things that are
ecologically off the scale,” he said.
“We won’t really know how much of a

tipping point these fires have been, but the
scale in terms of extent and severity I think
will be a serious problem for many, many
species. It will set back biodiversity in our
forests for decades.
Ending
“You have these incredibly savage blows and
these animals have not evolved to cope with
it. These fires are not, in the scheme of
things, natural.
“We don’t see these smaller animals being

incinerated. There is a silent death going on.”
❖ Article 9:
Picture
A wallaby eats a carrot air-dropped in

bushfire-hit areas around Wollemi and
Caption
Yengo national parks by the NSW National
Parks and Wildlife Service
A billion animals: some of the species most
Headline
at risk from Australia’s bushfire crisis
Fires take an enormous toll on wildlife, with
Lead huge numbers of mammals, birds, reptiles
and insects killed
Australia’s continuing bushfire crisis has
taken an enormous toll on wildlife, with
Bodies
huge numbers of mammals, birds, reptiles,
insects and other species killed.
13
…
1. Glossy black-cockatoo (Kangaroo
Island sub-species)
2. Kangaroo Island dunnart
3. Koala
4. Hastings River mouse
5. Regent honeyeater
Subtitle 6. Blue Mountains water skink
7. Brush-tailed rock-wallaby
8. Southern corroborree frog
9. Quokka
10.Western ground parrot
11.Nothern easter bristlebird
12.Greater glider
Euan Ritchie, a wildlife ecologist at Deakin
University, said some ecosystems would be
able to recover in a few years, others would
take decades, and some more than a century.
Some, he said, “may not ever recover to

anything like their former condition”.
Ending “To really assess the impact of these fires

properly, we need to get into areas once it’s
safe to do so, and begin the work of
surveying plant and animal populations,” he
said.
“Of great concern is that some of these burnt

areas may burn again in the near future, due
to the impacts of climate change.”
❖ Article 10:
14
Picture
A statellite image of the bushfires

Caption burning across Australian on December
26
Australia’s deadly wildfires are showing
Headline no signs of stopping. Here’s what you
need to know
Australia is being ravaged by the worst
wildfires seen in decades, with large
Lead
swaths of the country devastated since
the fire season began in late July.
At least 28 people have died nationwide,
and in the state of New South Wales
(NSW) alone, more than 3,000 homes
have been destroyed or damaged. State
Bodies and federal authorities are struggling to
contain the massive blazes, even with
firefighting assistance from other
countries, including the United States.
…
1. Where are the fires?
2. What is causing the fires?
3. Why are the fires so bad?
4. What has been the damage so far?
Subtitles
5. How many animals have died?
6. What is being done?
7. When will the fired end?
8. How can I help?
Donations can be made to several
organizations working toward victim
Ending
relief and recovery, including
the Australian Red Cross, Salvation
15
Army Australia, the NSW Rural Fire
Service , and the St. Vincent de Paul
Society Australia.
You can also help the devastated animal
population by giving to wildlife rescue
and treatment groups like WIRES, the
Port Macquarie Koala Hospital ,
and Currum Wildlife Hospital.
❖ Article 11:
Picture
A person prepares to conduct drone

seeding to help regenerate Australia’s
Caption
forests in Queensland after the
devastating bushfires.
Drones to drop seeds to boost koala gum
tree numbers after devastating Australia
Headline
bushfires
Specialized drones are being tested in a

program to boost koala numbers on
Australia's east coast, dropping seeds of
Lead gum trees as part of a World Wildlife
Fund (WWF) scheme to regenerate
bushland torched in the country's historic
bushfires.
Gum tree leaves are koala's main food
source, and restoring bushland and forest
habitat razed in the 2019-2020 fires is
Bodies
key to their long-term survival in New
South Wales state.
16
Australia's most recent bushfire season
was one of its worst ever, killing 34
people and destroying nearly 3,000
Ending
homes, after years of drought left
bushlands unusually dry.
❖ Article 12:
Picture
An animal rescurer carries a kangaroo

Caption
burned in bushfires
Nearly three billion animals killed or
Headline
displaced by Australia’s fires
Nearly three billion animals were killed
or displaced by Australia’s
Lead devastating bushfires -- almost triple the
figure estimated in January -- according
to a report released Tuesday.
The figure includes an estimated 143
million mammals, 2.46 billion reptiles,
Bodies 180 million birds, and 51 million frogs, a
report commissioned by the World Wide
Fund for Nature (WWF) found
…
Previous research concluded that there is
now a significant and immediate threat
of extinction to Australia's koala
Ending population following the fires.
A minimum of 5,000 koalas are
estimated to have died, according to a
report released by global conservation
17
group International Fund for Animal
Welfare in March.
❖ Article 13:
Picture
Caption Images from a journalist

Headline After more than 240 days, Australia’s
New South Wales is finally free from
bushfires
Lead The Australian state of New South
Wales is officially free
from bushfires for the first time in more
than 240 days, according to the area's
fire service
Bodies Months of devastating fires in Australia
left at least 28 people dead, about 3,000
homes destroyed and up to a billion
animals affected.
…
Ending The blazes damaged World Heritage
Areas, including the Blue Mountains
and the Gondwana rainforests in New
South Wales and Queensland, according
to Australian authorities.
❖ Article 14:
18
Picture
Caption Leonard Dimaculangan was battling blazes

near the Buffalo Mountain National Park
in Victoria
Headline The California firefighters who
volunteered to battle flames in Australia
have returned home
Lead Leonard Dimaculangan hugged his
daughter for the first time in a month after
battling flames half way across the world
in Australia. "I'm glad that he gets to help
me with my homework now,"
Dimaculangan's daughter, Promise, joked.
Bodies Dimaculangan and 19 other firefighters
with Angeles National Forest returned to
California on Wednesday after they
volunteered to help contain the devastating
bushfires in Australia
…
Ending In 2018, nearly 140 firefighters from
Australia and New Zealand were deployed
to California, Oregon and Washington for
nearly a month. They relieved exhausted
firefighters battling the deadly Carr fire
near Redding, California, and assisted with
helicopter operations. The last time US
firefighters worked in Australia was 2010.
❖ Article 15:
19
Picture
Caption Many feared the pink slug could be among

species wiped out by bushfires, but now
they can breathe easily
Headline A unique pink slug feared wiped out by
Australia’s bushfires has been found alive
and well
Lead A bright pink slug species, found only on
one mountain in Australia, has survived
the devastating bushfires that ripped
through much of its habitat.
Bodies The unique, eye-catching creature only
lives on the slopes of an isolated inactive
volcano in New South Wales, Mount
Kaputar, from which they take their name.
…
Ending "It's a monstrous event in terms of
geography and the number of individual
animals affected," said University of
Sydney ecologist Christopher Dickman in
a news release. "It's events like this that
may well hasten the extinction process for
a range of other species. So, it's a very sad
time."
❖ Article 16:
20
Picture
Caption Six-year-old Owen Colley has made

about 55 clay koalas so far
Headline A 6-year-old making clay koalas to raise
money for the Australian fires. He’s
raised over $100.000
Lead One little boy has done so much to help
his animal friends in Australia and he's
doing it by making one clay koala at a
time.
Bodies Owen Colley, a 6-year-old from
Hingham, Massachusetts, was upset to
learn about the Australian bushfires two
weeks ago, his mom Caitlin Colley said.
He asked if any animals had been hurt in
the fire and his mom said yes.
…
Endings As of Tuesday evening, Owen has raised
more than $20,000 for the rescue group
in just a week, his mom said. It started
with $1,000 in donations via Venmo in
an Instagram post, which was their
fundraising goal. It got so big that the
family launched a GoFundMe campaign.
❖ Article 17:
21
Picture
Caption A projection on the Sydney Opera

House honors firefighters on January 11
Headline Australia Prime Minister admits
mistakes in bushfire crisis amid
mounting critisism
Lead Australia's beleaguered prime
minister, Scott Morrison, has admitted
there were things he "could have
handled much better" in the bushfire
crisis and will propose a royal
commission into the disaster.
Bodies The prime minister has been heavily
criticized for his tone-deaf interactions
with fire-ravaged communities and
inaction over climate change.
…
Ending For now, bushfires have eased slightly,
according to the News South Wales
Rural Fire Service. But with weeks of
the Australian summer still left, the risk
is far from over.
❖ Article 18:
Picture
22
Caption Amy and Ben Spencer on New Year’s
Eve at a showground in the southern.
New South Wales town of Bega, where
they are camping after being evacuated
Headline Mass evacuations, banned BBQs, sports
events at risk. Deadly fires are threating
Australia’s way of life
Lead Australian Prime Minister Scott
Morrison may have thought a visit to a
fire-ravaged town would help boost his
image after a series of stumbles in
handling the country's bushfire crisis.
Bodies That plan backfired Thursday in
Cobargo, in the state of New South
Wales, where residents made no bones
about their anger.
…
Ending "People make the decision to live in a
mega-city, whether Sydney or London,
and we know these risks come. And if
we choose to live there, we should be
convincing our politicians, and electing
our politicians, who will deal with air
quality, as London has done," he said.
"Otherwise, they'll have to accept all
these life impacts which bad air brings.
❖ Article 19:
Picture
Caption An injured young Koala rests at the

emergency response wildlife shelter in
Mallacoota. Environment groups warn
23
some species may have been driven to
extinction in Australia’s bushfires.
Headline Government to commit $50 million for
wildlife affected by bushfires as green
groups call for action
Lead Conservation groups wrote to
environment minister Sussan Ley
expressing concern for at least 13 animal
species
Bodies The Morrison government has pledged
$50m to help rescue and protect wildlife
affected by the bushfire crisis, with a
promise of more to come, as environment
groups warn some species may have
already been driven to extinction.
…
Ending Launching the review of EPBC Act last
year, Ley stressed it would “tackle green
tape” and reduce project approval
delays.Hundreds of scientists have called
on the government to use the review to
strengthen the law to help address a
worsening extinction crisis.
❖ Article 20:
Picture
Caption In northern Australia, traditional

owners’s deep knowledge of country
allows them to use fire to manage the
land
24
Headline How first Australian’s ancient
knowledge can help us survive the
bushfires of the future
Lead Indigenous people have been managing
fire in Australia for 65,000 years. It’s
time to ask us how it’s done
Bodies The debate about climate change in
Australia is, among other things, a
tragedy of massive proportions – and a
distraction from the reality that we have
one planet that is, without doubt,
changing a lot faster than we ever
anticipated.
…
Ending Indigenous people comprise 3% of the
population but have unmatched and
untapped capital to bring to any future
discussions and actions relating to the
future of living in Australia.The time
for action is now. We simply cannot let
our kids’ future go up in smoke.
3. Linguistic features of articles on “Australia’s Bushfires” on

Reuters, CNN and The Guardian
3.1. Syntactical features of articles on “Australia’s Bushfires on Reuters,
CNN and The Guardian
3.1.1. Headlines in articles on “Australia’s Bushfires” on Reuters, CNN
and The Guardian
1. Australian tourism industry seeks urgent help as cost of
bushfires grows
2. Probe into fatal Australia bushfire plane crash complicated
by dangers
3. Australia begins damage assessment amid temporary respite
from bushfires
4. Thousands flee fires in Australia, navy helps evacuate the
stranded
5. Australia’s bushfires make massive clouds of pollution
25
6. Australian budget surplus in doubt as bushfire funding
boosted
7. Explanier: how effective is bushfire hazard reduction on
Australia’s fires?
8. “Silent death”: Australia’s bushfires push countless species
to extinction
9. A billion animals: some of the species most at risk from
Australia’s bushfire crisis
10.Australia’s deadly wildfires are showing no signs of
stopping. Here’s what you need to know
11.Drones to drop seeds to boost koala gum tree numbers after
devastating Australia bushfires
12.Nearly three billion animals killed or displaced by
Australia’s fires
13.After more than 240 days, Australia’s New South Wales is
finally free from bushfires
14.The California firefighters who volunteered to battle flames
in Australia have returned home
15.A unique pink slug feared wiped out by Australia’s
bushfires has been found alive and well
16.A 6-year-old making clay koalas to raise money for the
Australian fires. He’s raised over $100.000
17.Australia Prime Minister admits mistakes in bushfire crisis
amid mounting critisism
18.Mass evacuations, banned BBQs, sports events at risk.
Deadly fires are threating Australia’s way of life
19.Government to commit $50 million for wildlife affected by
bushfires as green groups call for action
20.How first Australian’s ancient knowledge can help us
survive the bushfires of the future
3.1.2. Structure of headlines

(1) Article 1: Australian tourism industry seeks urgent help as cost
of bushfires grows
➔ This headline uses present tense with a verb “seeks” in the
active voice to indicate an event that has already happened
(2) Article 2: Probe into fatal Australia bushfire plane crash
26
➔ This headline uses past tense with a verb “complicated” in
passive voice (auxiliary is usually dropped in the passive
voice) and a long noun phrase acts as a subject “Probe into
fatal Australia bush fire plane crash”
(3) Article 3: Australia begins damage assessment amid temporary
respite from bushfires
➔ This headline uses present tense with a verb “begins” in the
active voice to indicate an event that now happening or
already happened
(4) Article 4: Thousands flee fires in Australia, navy helps evacuate
the stranded
➔ This headline uses present tense with two verbs “flee” and
“helps” in the active voice to express that the event is now
happening or already happened
(5) Article 5: Australia’s bushfires make massive clouds of pollution
➔ This headline uses present tense with a verb “make” in the
active voice to express an event that is happening.
(6) Article 6: Australian budget surplus in doubt as bushfire funding
boosted
➔ This headline omits the verb “to be” between surplus and in
doubt
(7) Article 7: Explainer: how effective is bushfire hazard reduction
on Australia’s fires?
➔ This headline uses a colon to separate the subject from what
is said about it
(8) Article 8: “Silent death”: Australia’s bushfires push countless
species to extinction
➔ This headline uses a colon to separate the subject from what
is said about it. Moreover, it used present tense with a verb
“push” with an active voice to indicate the event that already
happened
(9) Article 9: A billion animals: some of the species most at risk
from Australia’s bushfire crisis
➔ This headline uses a colon to divide the subject from what it
want to say. Moreover, this headline omits the verb “to be”
between species and most
(10) Article 10: Australia’s deadly wildfires are showing no
signs of stopping. Here’s what you need to know
27
➔ This headline consists of two simple sentences to add more
information to the headline.
(11) Article 11: Drones to drop seeds to boost koala gum tree
numbers after devastating Australia bushfires
➔ This article uses “to drop” in an active form to express an
event that will happen in the future
(12) Article 12: Nearly three billion animals killed or displaced
by Australia’s fires
➔ This article uses past tense with the verb “killed”, “displaced”
to indicate a passive voice and a past event
(13) Article 13: After more than 240 days, Australia’s New
South Wales is finally free from bushfires
➔ This article consists of an adverb phrase “After more than 240
days” with a simple sentence
(14) Articles 14: The California firefighters who volunteered to
battle flames in Australia have returned home
➔ This is a full headline article, they provide a well-
understanding for the whole article
(15) Article 15: A unique pink slug feared wiped out by
Australia’s bushfires has been found alive and well
➔ This headline uses past tense with a past participle “wiped” to
indicate a passive voice and a past event.
(16) Article 16: A 6-year-old making clay koalas to raise
money for the Australian fires. He’s raised over $100.000
➔ This headline uses the present progressive tense in the first
sentence and especially to talk about changes. “to be” is
usually dropped. Moreover, this headline consists of two
simple sentences to add more information to the headline.
(17) Article 17: Australia Prime Minister admits mistakes in
bushfire crisis amid mounting criticism.
➔ This headline uses present tense and a verb “admits” to
indicate an event that already happened and an active verb
form.
(18) Article 18: Mass evacuations, banned BBQs, sports events
at risk. Deadly fires are threatening Australia’s way of life.
➔ This headline comprises two parts. The first part is a string
of phrases to enumerate a series of events that happened
during the bushfires. The second part is a simple sentence that
28
uses present progressive tense to indicate the event that is
happening around now.
(19) Article 19: Government to commit $50 million for wildlife
affected by bushfires as green groups call for action
➔ This headline uses “to commit” to indicate an event that will
happen in the future.
(20) Article 20: How first Australian’s ancient knowledge can
help us survive the bushfires of the future
➔ This headline uses present tense and a modal verb “can” in
active voice.
3.1.3. Omission
➔ This headline omits “were” between the word “crash” and
“complicated”.
boosted
➔ This headline omits “was” between the word “surplus” and
“in”.
(3) Article 12: Nearly three billion animals killed or displaced by
Australia’s fires
➔ This headline omits “were” between the word “animals” and
“killed”.
(4) Article 15: A unique pink slug feared wiped out by Australia’s
bushfires has been found alive and well.
➔ This headline omits “was” between the word “slug” and
“feared” and “to be” between the word “feared” and “wiped”.
(5) Article 16: A 6-year-old making clay koalas to raise money for
the Australian fires. He’s raised over $100.000.
➔ This headline omits “is” between the word “old” and
“making”
affected by bushfires as green groups call for action.
➔ This headline omits “that was” between the word “wildlife”
and “affected”
29
3.1.4. Headline interpreting
(1) Article 1: Australian tourism industry seeks urgent help as cost
of bushfires grows
➔ Australian tourism industry has sought urgent help as cost of
bushfires grows
➔ Probe that was sent into fatal Australia bushfire plane crash
was complicated by dangers
(3) Article 3: Australia begins damage assessment amid temporary
➔ Australia has begun damage assessment amid temporary
(4) Article 4: Thousands flee fires in Australia, navy helps evacuate
the stranded
➔ Thousands of people have fled bushfires in Australia, navy
has helped to evacuate the stranded.
(5) Article 5: Australia’s bushfires make massive clouds of pollution
➔ Australia’s bushfires are making massive clouds of pollution.

boosted
➔ Australian budget surplus was in doubt as bushfire funding
was boosted.
(7) Article 8: “Silent death”: Australia’s bushfires push countless
species to extinction
➔ “Silent death”: Australia’s bushfires have pushed countless
species to extinction.
(8) Article 9: A billion animals: some of the species most at risk
from Australia’s bushfire crisis
➔ A billion animals: some of the species are most at risk from
Australia’s bushfire crisis.
(9) Article 11: Drones to drop seeds to boost koala gum tree
numbers after devastating Australia bushfires
➔ Drones will drop seeds to boost koala gum tree numbers after
devastating Australia bushfires.
(10) Article 12: Nearly three billion animals killed or displaced
by Australia’s fires
30
➔ Nearly three billion animals were killed and displaced by
Australia’s fires.
(11) Article 15: A unique pink slug feared wiped out by
➔ A unique pink slug that was feared to be wiped out by
Australia’s bushfires has been found alive and well.
(12) Article 16: A 6-year-old making clay koalas to raise
money for the Australian fires. He’s raised over $100.000
➔ A 6-year-old who is making clay koalas to raise money for
the Australian bushfires. He’s raised over $100.000.
(13) Article 17: Australia Prime Minister admits mistakes in
bushfire crisis amid mounting criticism.
➔ Australia Prime Minister has admitted mistakes in bushfire
crisis amid mounting criticism.
(14) Article 18: Mass evacuations, banned BBQs, sports events
at risk. Deadly fires are threating Australia’s way of life.
➔ Mass evacuations, banned BBQs, sports events is now at risk
because deadly bushfires are threating Australia’s way of life.

➔ Government will commit $50 million for wildlife affected by
3.1.5. Leads in articles on “Australia’s bushfires” on Reuters, CNN and
The Guardian
Leads in the articles Core sentence 5 Ws and How
1. Australia’s peak Who: Australia’s
tourism body peak tourism
estimated the body/military
country’s bushfire The country’s ships and
crisis has so far cost bushfires crisis helicopters
the industry almost cost the tourism What: estimated
approximately $1 industry $690 the country’s
billion ($690 million. bushfires/called
million) and called for urgent help
for urgent help from
31
the government to
lure back visitors.
2. Australian officials Who: Australian

were working on officials
Friday to extricate When: on Friday
the bodies of three What: extricate
Australian
U.S. firefighters the bodies of
officials were
from a plane that three U.S.
working to
crashed in remote Where: from a
extricate the
bushland, as the plane that crashed
body of three
area’s “active” in remote
U.S. firefighters.
bushfire status bushland
complicated an
investigation into the
accident.
3. Australian Who: Australian
authorities began authorities
assessing the What: began
damage on Sunday assessing the
from heatwave- damage
Australian
spurred bushfires When: on
assessed the
that swept through Sunday/for weeks
damage from
two states a day Where: the
heatwave
earlier, as cooler country’s east
spurred
conditions provided coast
bushfires
a temporary respite
from blazes that
have scarred the
country’s east coast
for weeks.
4. Tens of thousands of Ten of Who: Tens of
holiday makers fled thousands fled thousands of
seaside towns on seaside towns as holiday makers
Australia’s east bushfires What: fled
coast on Thursday as approached seaside towns
bushfires
approached, and
32
military ships and Where: on
helicopters began Australia’s east
rescuing thousands coast
more trapped by the When: on
blazes. Thursday
Why: as bushfires
approached, and
military ships and
helicopters began
rescuing
thousands more
trapped by the
blazes.
5. Smoke from Smoke from When: over the
Australia’s bushfires Australia’s past month
has blanketed its bushfires Where: across the
major cities over the blanketed its Pacific to South
past month, turned major cities America
the sky over New Who: New
Zealand bright Zealand
orange and left sooty What: blanketed
deposits on its its major cities
glaciers and drifted
across the Pacific to
South America.
6. Australia on Australia Who: Australia
Monday boosted boosted When: on
emergency funding emergency Monday
for small businesses funding for What: boosted
hit by bushfires that small businesses emergency
have ravaged the funding
country for months, Why: as the
as the mounting mounting costs of
costs of the disaster the disaster cast
cast doubt on the doubt on the
government’s ability government’s
to deliver a promised ability to deliver
budget surplus. a promised
budget surplus
33
7. Claims of a Greens Claims to block Who: bushfire
Conspiracy to block harzard experts
harzard reduction reduction What: claims of a
have been rejected rejected by Greens
by bushfire experts. experts Conspiracy
8. Millions of animals Impact on flora Who: millions of
have been killed in and fauna is animals
the fires but the more grim than What: have been
impact on flora and individual killed
fauna is more grim deaths
even than individual
deaths
9. Fires take an Fires take a toll Who: mammals,
enormous toll on on wildlife birds, reptiles,
wildlife, with huge insects
numbers of What: killed
mammals, birds, How: Fires
reptiles and insects
killed
10.Australia is being Australia Who: Australia
ravaged by the worst ravaged by the What: being
wildfires seen in worst wildfires ravaged
decades, with large in decades When: in late
swaths of the July
country devastated
since the fire season
began in late July.
11.Specialized drones Drones being Where:
are being tested in a tested to boost Australia’s east
program to boost koala numbers coast
koala numbers on Who: koala
Australia's east How: Specialized
coast, dropping drones are being
seeds of gum trees tested
as part of a World What: to boost
Wildlife Fund numbers
(WWF) scheme to
regenerate bushland
torched in the
34
country's historic
bushfires.
12.Nearly three billion Three billion Who: three
animals were killed animals killed or million animals
or displaced by displaced by What: killed or
Australia’s bushfires displaced
devastating bushfires When: in January
-- almost triple the
figure estimated in
January -- according
to a report released
Tuesday.
13. The Australian state New South Who: The
of New South Wales officially Australian state
Wales is officially free from of New South
free bushfires Wales
from bushfires for What: free from
the first time in more bushfires
than 240 days, When: more than
according to the 240 days
area's fire service
14.Leonard Leonard Who: Leonard
Dimaculangan Dimaculangan Dimaculangan/his
hugged his daughter hugged his daughter
for the first time in a daughter What: hugged
month after battling When: after
flames half way battling flames
across the world in Where: across the
Australia. "I'm glad world
that he gets to help
me with my
homework now,"
Dimaculangan's
daughter, Promise,
joked.
15.A bright pink slug A slug species Who: A bright
species, found only survived the pink slug species
on one mountain in bushfires Where: one
Australia, has mountain in
survived the Australia
35
devastating bushfires What: survived
that ripped through
much of its habitat.
16.One little boy has Boy making clay Who: One little
done so much to koala to help boy
help his animal animals What: done so
friends in Australia much to help
and he's doing it by animals
making one clay Where: In
koala at a time. Australia
How: by making
one clay Koala at
a time
17.Australia's Prime minister Who: prime
beleaguered prime proposes a royal minister Scott
minister, Scott commission into Morrison
Morrison, has disaster. What: admits
admitted there were there were things
things he "could he “could handle
have handled much better”
better" in the
bushfire crisis and
will propose a royal
commission into the
disaster.
18.Australian Prime Australian Prime Who: Australia
Minister Scott Minister wants Prime minister
Morrison may have to boost his Scot Morrison
thought a visit to a image What: thought a
fire-ravaged town visit
would help boost his Where: Fire-
image after a series ravaged town
of stumbles in
handling the
country's bushfire
crisis.
19.Conservation groups Concern for 13 Who:
wrote to animal species conservation
environment groups
minister Sussan Ley What: wrote to
36
expressing concern Why: expressing
for at least 13 animal concern for 13
species animal species
20.Indigenous people Indigenous Who: Indigenous
have been managing managing fire people
fire in Australia for for 65,000 years. What: managing
65,000 years. It’s fire
time to ask us how Where: in
it’s done Australia
3.1.6. Endings in articles on “Australia’s bushfires” on Reuters, CNN and

The Guardian
Endings in articles Types of ending
1. Birmingham said he would Proximity ending: using
seek firsthand feedback information from the
from tourism bosses at preceding paragraph to
Thursday’s meeting and provide the angle for the
devise a strategy to closing.
reassure visitors that many
tourism destinations are
untainted by fires.
2. Hood said the ATSB Proximity ending: using
expected to retrieve the information from the
plane’s black box cockpit preceding paragraph to
voice recorder, use a drone provide the angle for the
to 3D map the site, closing.
analyze both air traffic
control and the plane’s
data and review the
weather at the time of the
crash.
3. Australia has been battling

blazes across much of its Summary ending: refers back
east coast for months, with to the feature angle presented
experts saying climate in the lead.
37
change has been a major
factor in a three-year
drought that has left much
of the country’s bushland
tinder-dry and susceptible
to fires.
4. “It is going to be a very Quote ending: an ending that

dangerous day. It’s going consists of a quote to make the
to be a very difficult day,” article more striking and
NSW Rural Fire Service memorable
(RFS) Commissioner
Shane Fitzsimmons said.
5. “There is a long way to go Quote ending: an ending that
in what has been an consists of a quote to make the
unprecedented fire article more striking and
event ... we know that we memorable
have many weeks of the
fire season to run,” Daniel
Andrews, the premier of
Victoria state, told a
televised briefing.
6. Violent hailstorms and Proximity ending: using
damaging winds hit parts information from the
of New South Wales state preceding paragraph to
including bushfire-affected provide the angle for the
coastal towns on Monday, closing.
but hot and windy
conditions are forecast to
return to many parts of
NSW later in the week.
7. A study in 2019 published Proximity ending: using

in the journal Scientific information from the
Reports found that adding preceding paragraph to
more greenhouse gases to provide the angle for the
the atmosphere would closing.
create more dangerous
38
conditions favorable to
pyroCB events in the
future, particularly for the
southern parts of
Australia.
8. “There are a whole lot of Quote ending: an ending that

things that are ecologically consists of a quote to make the
off the scale,” he said.“We article more striking and
won’t know how much of memorable
a tipping point these fires
have been, but the scale in
terms of extent and
severity I think will be a
serious problem for many,
many species. It will set
back biodiversity in our
forests for decades.“You
have these incredibly
savage blows and these
animals have not evolved
to cope with it. These fires
are not, in the scheme of
things, natural.“We don’t
see these smaller animals
being incinerated. There is
a silent death going on.”
9. Euan Ritchie, a wildlife Quote ending: an ending that

ecologist at Deakin consists of a quote to make the
University, said some article more striking and
ecosystems would be able memorable
to recover in a few years,
others would take decades,
and some more than a
century.Some, he said,
“may not ever recover to
anything like their former
39
condition”.“To really
assess the impact of these
fires properly, we need to
get into areas once it’s safe
to do so, and begin the
work of surveying plant
and animal populations,”
he said.“Of great concern
is that some of these burnt
areas may burn again in
the near future, due to the
impacts of climate
change.”
10.Donations can be made to Proximity ending: using

several organizations information from the
working toward victim preceding paragraph to
relief and recovery, provide the angle for the
including the Australian closing.
Red Cross, Salvation
Army Australia, the NSW
Rural Fire Service , and
the St. Vincent de Paul
Society Australia. You
can also help the
devastated animal
population by giving to
wildlife rescue and
treatment groups
like WIRES, the Port
Macquarie Koala
Hospital , and Currum
Wildlife Hospital.
11.Australia's most recent Proximity ending: using

bushfire season was one of information from the
its worst ever, killing 34 preceding paragraph to
people and destroying provide the angle for the
nearly 3,000 homes, after closing.
40
years of drought left
bushlands unusually dry.
12.Previous research Summary ending: refers back

concluded that there is to the feature angle presented
now a significant and in the lead
immediate threat of
extinction to Australia's
koala population following
the fires.A minimum of
5,000 koalas are estimated
to have died, according to
a report released by global
conservation group
International Fund for
Animal Welfare in March.
13.The blazes damaged Proximity ending: using

World Heritage Areas, information from the
including the Blue preceding paragraph to
Mountains and the provide the angle for the
Gondwana rainforests in closing.
New South Wales and
Queensland, according to
Australian authorities.
14.In 2018, nearly 140 Proximity ending: using
firefighters from Australia information from the
and New Zealand were preceding paragraph to
deployed to California, provide the angle for the
Oregon and Washington closing.
for nearly a month. They
relieved exhausted
firefighters battling the
deadly Carr fire near
Redding, California, and
assisted with helicopter
operations. The last time
US firefighters worked in
Australia was 2010
41
15."It's a monstrous event in Quote ending: an ending that
terms of geography and consists of a quote to make the
the number of individual article more striking and
animals affected," said memorable
University of Sydney
ecologist Christopher
Dickman in a news
release. "It's events like
this that may well hasten
the extinction process for a
range of other species. So,
it's a very sad time."
16.As of Tuesday evening, Summary ending: refers back
Owen has raised more to the feature angle presented
than $20,000 for the in the lead
rescue group in just a
week, his mom said. It
started with $1,000 in
donations via Venmo in an
Instagram post, which was
their fundraising goal. It
got so big that the family
launched
a GoFundMe campaign.
17.For now, bushfires have Proximity ending: an ending

eased slightly, according that consists of a quote to
to the News South Wales make the article more striking
Rural Fire Service. But and memorable
with weeks of the
Australian summer still
left, the risk is far from
over.
18."People make the decision Quote ending: an ending that
to live in a mega-city, consists of a quote to make the
whether Sydney or article more striking and
London, and we know memorable.
these risks come. And if
we choose to live there,
we should be convincing
42
our politicians, and
electing our politicians,
who will deal with air
quality, as London has
done," he said.
"Otherwise, they'll have to
accept all these life
impacts which bad air
brings.
19.Launching the review of Summary ending: refers back
EPBC Act last year, to the feature angle presented
Ley stressed it would in the lead.
“tackle green tape” and
reduce project approval
delays.Hundreds of
scientists have called on
the government to use the
review to strengthen the
law to help address a
worsening extinction
crisis.
20. Indigenous people Summary ending: refers back
comprise 3% of the to the feature angle presented
population but have in the lead.
unmatched and untapped
capital to bring to any
future discussions and
actions relating to the
future of living in
Australia.The time for
action is now. We simply
cannot let our kids’ future
go up in smoke.
3.2. Lexical features of articles on “Australia’s bushfires” on Reuters,

3.2.1. Common vocabulary
1. Australian tourism industry seeks urgent help as cost of
bushfires grows
43
• Seek: look for
2. Probe into fatal Australia bushfire plane crash complicated
by dangers
• Probe: investigation,
investigate
3. Australia begins damage assessment amid temporary respite
from bushfires
• Damage: loss or harm
resulting from injury to
person, property or
reputation.
4. Thousands flee fires in Australia, navy helps evacuate the
stranded
• Flee: to runaway often from
danger or evil
5. Australia’s bushfires make massive clouds of pollution
• Massive: forming or
consisting of a large mass
6. Australian budget surplus in doubt as bushfire funding
boosted
• Boost: to promote the cause
or interests of
7. Explainer: how effective is bushfire hazard reduction on
• Hazard: a source of danger
8. “Silent death”: Australia’s bushfires push countless species
to extinction
• Push: to bear hard upon so
as to involve in difficulty
9. A billion animals: some of the species most at risk from
Australia’s bushfire crisis
• Crisis: a situation that has
reached a critical phase
10.Australia’s deadly wildfires are showing no signs of
stopping. Here’s what you need to know
• Sign: something indicating
the presence or existence of
something else.
44
11.Drones to drop seeds to boost koala gum tree numbers after
• Boost: to promote the causes
or interests of
• Devastate: to destroy a place
or thing completely or cause
great damage.
12.Nearly three billion animals killed or displaced by
Australia’s fires
• Kill: to cause someone or
something to die.
13.After more than 240 days, Australia’s New South Wales is
finally free from bushfires
• Free: not limited, not
controlled
14.The California firefighters who volunteered to battle flames
in Australia have returned home
• Battle: to fight
15.A unique pink slug feared wiped out by Australia’s
bushfires has been found alive and well
• Wipe out: eradicate
16.A 6-year-old making clay koalas to raise money for the
Australian fires. He’s raised over $100.000
• Raise: to cause something to
increase or become bigger,
better, higher.
17.Australia Prime Minister admits mistakes in bushfire crisis
amid mounting criticism
• Amid: in the middle of
something
18.Mass evacuations, banned BBQs, sports events at risk.
Deadly fires are threatening Australia’s way of life
• Mass: having an effect on or
involving a large number of
people or forming a large
amount
• Threat: harm something
19.Government to commit $50 million for wildlife affected by
45
• Call for: to need or deserve
a particular action, remark,
or quality
20.How first Australian’s ancient knowledge can help us
survive the bushfires of the future
• Survive: to continue to live
or exist
3.2.2. Compound words

3.2.2.1. Compound nouns in 20 articles
(1) Bushfire:
➔ Common noun + Common noun
➔ Nature event
➔ Bush that fire
(2) Bushland:
➔ Place
➔ Land that has bushes
(3) Marketplace:
➔ Place
➔ Place that have market
(4) Feedback:
➔ Common noun + Adverb
(5) Firefighter
➔ Career
➔ A person that fights the fire
(6) Rainfall
➔ Common noun + verb
➔ Natural event
➔ The amount of rain that falls
(7) Wildfire
➔ Natural event
➔ A fire that happens in wild
(8) Half-mast
46
➔ Position
➔ To place halfway up a mast
(9) Farewell
➔ Common noun + adverb
➔ Goodbye
(10) Flashpoint
➔ A place or stage at which violence might be expected to begin
(11) Stockpile
➔ Goods
➔ A large amount of food, goods, or weapons that are kept
ready for future use
(12) Popstar
➔ Career
➔ A star that sings pop song
(13) Highway
➔ Adjective + Common noun
➔ A public road, especially an important road that joins cities or
towns together
(14) Supermarket
➔ Prefix + market
➔ Place
➔ A large shop which sells most types of food and other goods
needed in the home
(15) Hailstorm
➔ Natural event
➔ A sudden heavy storm of hail
(16) Fuel-reduction
➔ Purpose
➔ The reduction of fuel
(17) Landscape
47
➔ A large area of countryside, especially in relation to its
appearance
(18) Stronghold
➔ Position
➔ Something that is held strongly
(19) Three-quarter
➔ Cardinal number + Common noun
➔ Number
➔ Three-fourths of something
(20) Honeyeater
➔ Animals
➔ Animals that eat honey
(21) A mega-blaze
➔ Prefix + Common noun
➔ Natural event
➔ A large, strong fire
(22) Downpour
➔ Adverb + Verb
➔ Natural event
➔ A lot of rain that pouring down
3.2.2.2. Compound Adjectives in 20 articles

(1) Burn-out town
➔ Verb + Adverb
➔ Trait
➔ A town that was burnt out
(2) Non-fire zone
➔ Prefix + Common noun
➔ Condition
➔ A zone that doesn’t have fire
(3) Fire-affected area
➔ Common noun + past participle
➔ Condition
48
➔ The area that is affected by fire
(4) A large-scale military
➔ Characteristic
➔ A military that on a large scale
(5) One-kilometer-long crash
➔ Cardinal number + Common noun + Adjective
➔ Measurement
➔ A crash that one kilometer long
(6) Twenty-four people
➔ Cardinal number + Cardinal number
➔ Number
➔ There are 24 people
(7) At-risk area
➔ Preposition + Common noun
➔ Situation
➔ The area that is at risk
(8) Interest-free loan
➔ Common noun + Adjective
➔ Characteristics
➔ The loan that free of interest
(9) 18-year-old daughter
➔ Cardinal number + Common noun + Common noun
➔ Age
➔ The daughter is 18 years old
(10) Seaside town
➔ Position
➔ Town that near the sea
(11) Three-year drought
➔ Cardinal number + Common noun
➔ Period of time
➔ The drought that happened for three years
(12) Human-caused climate
➔ Cause
➔ Climate that caused by human
49
(13) Ground-dwelling mammals
➔ Common noun + present progressive participle
➔ Characteristics
➔ Mammals that dwell the ground
(14) Eye-catching creature
➔ Common noun + present progressive participle
➔ Characteristics
➔ The creature that really catches the eyes
(15) Fire-related offense
➔ Crime
➔ The offense that related to fire
(16) Fire-ravaged habitats
➔ Situation
➔ Habitats that are ravaged in fire
(17) Old-growth tree
➔ Adjective + common noun
➔ Age
➔ Tree that really old
(18) Yellow-bellied glider
➔ Color
➔ A glider that has a yellow belly
(19) Bushfire-generated thunderstorms

➔ Compound noun + past participle
➔ Trait
➔ Thunderstorms that are generated by bushfires
(20) Well-known species
➔ Adverb + past participle
➔ Trait
➔ Species that are well known
3.2.2.3. Compound Verbs in 20 articles
(1) Airlift
➔ Action
50
➔ To move supplies or people by aircraft to or from a place that
is difficult to reach because of war, flood
(2) Sidestep
➔ Action
➔ To step to the side in order to avoid something, especially
being hit
(3) Circumnavigate
➔ Prefix + Verb
➔ To sail all the way around something
3.3. Stylistic devices in articles about “Australia’s bushfires” on Reuters,
3.3.1. Lexical Stylistic devices
Article 2:
Paragraphs Stylistic devices
Par. 6
Firefighters in Australia held a
Metonymy: haf-mast is the position
minute’s silence and flags on
of a flag which is being flown some
official buildings in New South
way below the top of its staff as a
Wales state, where the plane
mark of respect for a person who
crashed, were flown at half-mast as
has died
a mark of respect on Friday.
Article 4:
Par.1
Tens of thousands of holiday
makers fled seaside towns on
Australia’s east coast on Thursday Metaphor of the verb rescuing
as bushfires approached, and
military ships and helicopters began
rescuing thousands more trapped
by the blazes.
Par. 14
“It is going to be a very dangerous
day. It’s going to be a very difficult Epithet: express subjective attitude
day,” NSW Rural Fire Service of the author
51
(RFS) Commissioner Shane
Fitzsimmons said
Article 8:
Par. 15
“We know that the species that
can’t fly away – like koalas Euphemism for the word “die”
and greater gliders – are gone in
burnt areas.
Par. 20
“This is a harbinger of a bleak Epithet
future for our wildlife.
Article 9:
Par. 14
The fire at Dunns Road in NSW,
now part of a mega-blaze, is Metaphor of the verb phrase
making a slow march through “making a march”: fire cannot
alpine country in the Kosciuszko make a slow march
national park
Article 12:
Par. 12
This will "give other countries a Metaphor
window into the future of mega
fires and their devastating impact
on wildlife Epithet
Article 13
Par.7
The fire service's deputy
commissioner Rob Rogers said it
had been "a truly devastating fire Epithet
season for both firefighters and
52
residents, who've suffered through
so much this season."
Article 17
Par. 4
"These are sensitive environments,
they are very emotional Epithet
environments," said Morrison,
adding that "prime ministers are
flesh and blood too in how they
engage with these people."
Article 18
Par.5
The devastation and persistent
clouds of toxic smoke hanging over Metaphor of the verb “beg”
major towns and cities are begging
the question, can Australia's way of
life go on?
3.3.2. Syntactical Stylistic Devices

Article 1
Par. 11
This week’s wet weather brought

some temporary respite for fire-hit
areas, but also came with the Polysyndeton
warning of potential flash floods
and lightning that could ignite new
fires.
Par.4
53
“People have basically stopped Ellipsis
travel,” Simon Westaway, Full form: Simon Westaway, who
executive director of Australian is an executive director of..
Tourism Industry Council (ATIC),
told Reuters
Par. 6
Images of burnt-out towns,

people huddled on beaches to
escape huge flames, dead wildlife Enumeration
and thick smoke hanging over
major cities have been beamed
around the world.
Par. 16
The rain has brought relief for a Ellipsis
number of firefighters working Full form: a number of firefighters
across New South Wales state who works across New South
Wales state
Par. 17
Emergency responders in Victoria
have dealt with nearly 600 cases of
falling trees, flash flooding and Enumeration & Polysyndeton
other damage in since late
Wednesday and warned of more
risks from storms starting Monday
Article 2
Par. 2
Officials said it was still too early
to speculate on the cause of the
crash of the C-130 Hercules tanker
plane on Thursday, killing its Ellipsis
entire crew Full form: ..,which killed its entire
crew
Par. 4
54
Ellipsis
However, he added that “we have Full form: when he was asked
nothing to suggest there was a whether..
systemic fault” when asked
whether other aircraft in use were
safe.
Par. 8
Little of the plane was intact and
potential hazards included aviation Stylistic inversion
fuel and unexploded pressurized
canisters, he adde
Par. 9
Hood said the ATSB expected to
retrieve the plane’s black box
cockpit voice recorder, use a
drone to 3D map the site, analyze
both air traffic control and the Parallel construction
plane’s data and review the
weather at the time of the crash.
Article 3
Par. 4
Tens of thousands of homes in

both NSW and Victoria states were
without power on Sunday as a
large-scale military and police
effort continued to provide Polysyndeton
supplies and evacuate thousands of
people who have been trapped for
days in coastal towns by the fires.
Par. 7
The weather activity we’re
seeing, the extent and spread of the
fires, the speed at which they’re Parallel construction
going, the way in which they are
attacking communities who have
never ever seen fire before is
unprecedented
55
Par. 14
Haze from the fires was turning

skies orange as far away as New Asyndeton
Zealand; police there asked people
to not call the emergency phone
number.
Par. 16
Actors, popstars and Britain’s

royal family stepped in to offer Enumeration
support for victims of the fires,
helping to raise millions for
firefighting services and wildlife
shelters.
Par. 20
PM Morrison also faced criticism
for a video he posted on social Ellipsis
media outlining how the Full form: which outlines how the..
government is tackling the fires
Article 4
Par. 1
Tens of thousands of holiday

makers fled seaside towns on Polysyndeton
Australia’s east coast on Thursday
as bushfires approached, and
military ships and helicopters
56
began rescuing thousands more
trapped by the blazes.
Par. 5
Roberts hoped to get her 18-year-

old daughter onto a naval ship, Ellipsis
which arrived off the town on Full form: which engulfed the town
Thursday, in order to escape the
fires and thick smoke engulfing
the town.
Par. 10
Authorities urged a mass exodus

from several towns on the
southeast coast, an area popular Ellipsis:
with tourists during the summer Full form: which is an area popular
holiday season, warning that with tourists..
extreme heat forecast for the Full form: they warned that
weekend will further stoke the extreme heat..
fires.
Article 5
Par. 5
It has been linked to heart disease, Enumeration

strokes and cancer.
Article 6
Par.2
The fires have killed 29 people
and millions of animals, destroyed
more than 2,500 homes and razed Polysyndeton
an area roughly a third the size of
57
Germany since September, and
scores of fires continued to burn on
the east coast despite recent rain
Par. 10
Violent hailstorms and damaging
winds hit parts of New South Polysyndeton
Wales state including bushfire-
affected coastal towns on Monday,
but hot and windy conditions are
forecast to return to many parts of
NSW later in the week
Par. 11
Early on Monday, 90 fires were

burning across New South Wales, Ellipsis
none above the lowest warning Full form: which includes one flash
level, and there were 28 emergency flood warning
warnings in Victoria, including
one flash flood warning.
Article 7
Par. 2
Despite the evidence a claim
persists that a major contributing
factor of Australia’s devastating
fire season – and the deaths, loss of
homes and environmental Polysyndeton and Parallel
devastation they have caused – is construction
not climate change but a
conspiracy by environmentalists to
“lock up” national parks and
prevent hazard reduction activities
such as prescribed burning and
clearing of the forest floor.
Par. 8
Hazard reduction is the Polysyndeton

management of fuel and can be
carried out through prescribed
58
burning, also known as controlled
burning, and removing trees and
vegetation, both dead and alive.
Par. 11
Prof Ross Bradstock, the director Ellipsis
of the centre for environmental risk Full form: who is the director of
management of bushfires at the the centre for…
University of Wollongong, has
previously told Guardian Australia
Article 8
Par. 12
Birds lose their breeding trees and Enumeration and polysyndeton
the fruits and invertebrates they
feed on
Article 9
Par. 2
Australia’s continuing bushfire

crisis has taken an enormous toll Enumeration
on wildlife, with huge numbers of
mammals, birds, reptiles, insects
and other species killed.
Par. 3
The ecologist Chris Dickman has

estimated more than a billion Enumeration
animals have died around the
country – a figure that excludes
fish, frogs, bats and insects.
Par. 5
But the list is far from exhaustive
and there won’t be a clear picture Polysyndeton
of the extent of the impact on plant
and animal life until experts can
access fire-ravaged habitats and
conduct assessments
59
Par. 7
“The number of species and

ecosystems that have been severely Enumeration
impacted across their ranges is
almost certain to be much higher,
especially when factoring in less
well-known species of reptiles,
amphibians and invertebrates.”
4. Relations between parts of articles about “Australia’s

bushfires” on Reuters, CNN, The Guardian
Article1:
Headline: Australian tourism industry seeks urgent help as cost of bushfires
grows
Lead: Australia’s peak tourism body estimated the country’s bushfire crisis
has so far cost the industry almost $1 billion ($690 million) and called for
urgent help from the government to lure back visitors.
Body: Industry bosses were due to meet with Tourism Minister Simon
Birmingham later on Thursday as storms and heavy rain brought some respite
from months of fierce bushfires across Australia’s east coast.
The fires, which have killed 29 people and razed bushland across an area the
size of Bulgaria, have hit several coastal towns at the height of the profitable
summer season.
“People have basically stopped travel,” Simon Westaway, executive director

of Australian Tourism Industry Council (ATIC), told Reuters. “And that’s
absolutely understandable: human nature kicks in.”
Even though recent cooler conditions have led some tourist destinations to
reopen after they were evacuated because of the fires, people remain wary of
visiting.
60
Images of burnt-out towns, people huddled on beaches to escape huge flames,
dead wildlife and thick smoke hanging over major cities have been beamed
around the world.
“The imagery of the fires in the global marketplace is very bad for our
country,” Westaway said. “We are worried about the contagion that may
have.”
Tourism accounts for more than 3% of Australia’s $1.95 trillion economy,

with 9 million foreigners visiting the country annually and domestic tourism
growing.
Accommodation booking cancellations in non-fire zones have reached

upwards of 60%, while in fire-affected areas there were no tourists at all,
Westaway said. Many destinations rely heavily on domestic tourism, as well
as international visitors.
This week’s wet weather brought some temporary respite for fire-hit areas,
but also came with the warning of potential flash floods and lightning that
could ignite new fires.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison earlier this week welcomed a U.S. move to
downgrade a travel warning and has stressed that Australia is open for
business.
Ending: Birmingham said he would seek firsthand feedback from tourism

bosses at Thursday’s meeting and devise a strategy to reassure visitors that
many tourism destinations are untainted by fires.
Article 2:
Headline: Probe into fatal Australia bushfire plane crash complicated by

dangers
Lead: Australian officials were working on Friday to extricate the bodies of

three U.S. firefighters from a plane that crashed in remote bushland, as the
area’s “active” bushfire status complicated an investigation into the accident.
Body:
61
Officials said it was still too early to speculate on the cause of the crash of the
C-130 Hercules tanker plane on Thursday, killing its entire crew, just after it
dumped a large load of retardant on a huge wildfire in a national park.
“We are very much into the evidence gathering phase of the investigation,”
Greg Hood, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau
(ATSB), which is leading the investigation, told reporters. “We will not be
speculating.”
However, he added that “we have nothing to suggest there was a systemic
fault” when asked whether other aircraft in use were safe.
Coulson Aviation, the Canadian firm that owned the plane and employed its
crew, revealed on Friday that all three were former U.S. military members
with extensive flight experience: Captain Ian H. McBeth, 44; First Officer
Paul Clyde Hudson, 42; and Flight Engineer Rick DeMorgan Jr., 43.
Firefighters in Australia held a minute’s silence and flags on official buildings

in New South Wales (NSW) state, where the plane crashed, were flown at
half-mast as a mark of respect on Friday.
“We will forever be indebted to the enormous contribution and indeed the
ultimate sacrifice that’s been paid as a result of these extraordinary
individuals doing a remarkable job,” NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner
Shane Fitzsimmons said at a farewell near Sydney airport for 32 U.S.
firefighters who were returning home after weeks on duty on Australia.
ATSB investigators had to be escorted to the one-kilometer-long crash site by

firefighters on Friday and police were still in the process of securing the area,
Hood said. Little of the plane was intact and potential hazards included
aviation fuel and unexploded pressurized canisters, he added
Ending: Hood said the ATSB expected to retrieve the plane’s black box
cockpit voice recorder, use a drone to 3D map the site, analyze both air traffic
control and the plane’s data and review the weather at the time of the crash.
Article 3:
Headline: Australia begins damage assessment amid temporary respite from

bushfires
62
Lead: Australian authorities began assessing the damage on Sunday from
heatwave-spurred bushfires that swept through two states a day earlier, as
cooler conditions provided a temporary respite from blazes that have scarred
the country’s east coast for weeks.
Body:
Light rain and cooler temperatures in the southeast of the country were a
welcome change from the searing heat that has fueled the devastating fires,
but officials warned they were not enough to put out almost 200 fires still
burning.
“It certainly is a welcome reprieve, it is psychological relief if nothing else,”

New South Wales (NSW) state Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane
Fitzsimmons said in an afternoon briefing on the situation. “But unfortunately
it is not putting out the fires.”
Tens of thousands of homes in both NSW and Victoria states were without
power on Sunday as a large-scale military and police effort continued to
provide supplies and evacuate thousands of people who have been trapped for
days in coastal towns by the fires.
Initial estimates put damaged or destroyed properties in the hundreds, but

authorities said the mass evacuations by residents of at-risk areas appear to
have prevented major loss of life. Twenty-four people have been killed since
the start of this year’s wildfire season.
Fire officials said temperatures were expected to rise again during the week
and the next major flashpoint would come by Thursday, but it was too early to
gauge the likely severity of the threat.
“The weather activity we’re seeing, the extent and spread of the fires, the
speed at which they’re going, the way in which they are attacking
communities who have never ever seen fire before is unprecedented,” NSW
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.
63
Australia has been battling blazes across much of its east coast for months,
with experts saying climate change has been a major factor in a three-year
drought that has left much of the country’s bushland tinder-dry and
susceptible to fires.
Article 4:
Headline: Thousands flee fires in Australia, navy helps evacuate the stranded
Lead: Tens of thousands of holiday makers fled seaside towns on Australia’s

east coast on Thursday as bushfires approached, and military ships and
helicopters began rescuing thousands more trapped by the blazes.
Body: Fueled by searing temperatures and high winds, more than 200 fires are
burning across the southeastern states of New South Wales (NSW) and
Victoria, threatening several towns.
The NSW state government declared a state of emergency, beginning on

Friday, giving authorities the power to forcibly evacuate people and take
control of services.
“It is hell on earth. It is the worst anybody’s ever seen,” Michelle Roberts said
by telephone from the Croajingolong Cafe she owns in Mallacoota, a
southeastern coastal town where 4,000 residents and visitors have been
stranded on the beach since Monday night.
Roberts hoped to get her 18-year-old daughter onto a naval ship, which
arrived off the town on Thursday, in order to escape the fires and thick smoke
engulfing the town.
The HMAS Choules is expected to make two or three voyages over the
coming days, state authorities said.
Elsewhere, long queues formed outside supermarkets and petrol stations as

residents and tourists sought supplies to either bunker down or escape the
fires, emptying shelves of staples like bread and milk.
64
More than 50,000 people were without power and some towns had no access
to drinking water.
“Everyone’s just on edge,” said Shane Flanagan, a resident of Batemans Bay

on the NSW coast.
Authorities urged a mass exodus from several towns on the southeast coast,
an area popular with tourists during the summer holiday season, warning that
extreme heat forecast for the weekend will further stoke the fires.
“The priority today is fighting fires and evacuating, getting people to safety,”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Sydney. “There are parts of
both Victoria and New South Wales which have been completely devastated,
with a loss of power and communications.”
Eight people have been killed by wildfires in NSW and Victoria since
Monday and 18 are missing, officials said on Thursday.
Temperatures are forecast to soar above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees

Fahrenheit) along the south coast on Saturday, bringing the prospect of
renewed firefronts to add to the around 200 current blazes.
“It is going to be a very dangerous day. It’s going to be a very difficult day,”
NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said.
Article 5
Headline: Australia’s bushfires make massive clounds of pollution
Lead:
Smoke from Australia’s bushfires has blanketed its major cities over the past
month, turned the sky over New Zealand bright orange and left sooty deposits
on its glaciers and drifted across the Pacific to South America.
65
Body: Reuters used readings from NASA’s Global Modeling and
Assimilation Office showing hourly estimates of the amount of organic
carbon released into the atmosphere to create an animation showing the
spread of smoke.
On Jan. 6, this amounted to an area of about 17 million sq km (6.5 million sq

miles).
The organic carbon contains a substantial portion of fine particles known as

PM2.5, which can have a major impact on health and climate.
The tiny particulate matter can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter
the blood. It has been linked to heart disease, strokes and cancer.
The U.N. World Meteorological Organization said on Tuesday that the brown
sooty deposits reported on New Zealand’s glaciers could accelerate the rate at
which they are melting.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifications for 24-hour

mean exposure to PM 2.5 give an indication of how bad air quality is. A
reading of anything above 250 micrograms is considered “hazardous” the
worst classification on the scale.
In Australia, air pollution readings in some towns have been off the charts.
One station in Goulburn, New South Wales, recorded a reading of more than
2,000 micrograms. This is higher than data recorded in the Indian capital of
Delhi its heavily polluted winter.
Skies as far away as central Chile have gone grey due to the smoke. The
Japanese weather satellite Himawari captured an image of a plume of smoke
crossing the Pacific Ocean toward South America on Sunday.
The fires, which have raged for months in Australia, have already emitted 400
megatonnes of carbon dioxide, according to the EU’s Copernicus monitoring
programme.
66
Since October, 27 people have been killed and thousands subjected to repeat
evacuations as the unpredictable fires scorched more than 10.3 million
hectares (25.5 million acres), an area the size of South Korea.
An end to the ordeal is not in sight, with one state official warning on Friday
that the fires could burn for weeks.
Ending: “There is a long way to go in what has been an unprecedented fire

event ... we know that we have many weeks of the fire season to run,” Daniel
Andrews, the premier of Victoria state, told a televised briefing.
5. Expressions about “Environment”

❖ Affect: to have an influence on someone or something, or to cause a
change in someone or something
❖ Biodiversity: the number and types of plants and animals that exist in a
particular area or in the world generally, or the problem of protecting
this
❖ Catastrophe: a sudden event that causes very great trouble or
destruction
❖ Climate: the general weather conditions usually found in a particular
place
❖ Creature: any large or small living thing that can move independently
❖ Combat: to try to stop something unpleasant or harmful from
happening or increasing
❖ Destruction: the act of destroying something, or the fact of being
destroyed
❖ Drought: a long period when there is little or no rain
❖ Hazardous: something dangerous
❖ Ecosystem: all the living things in an area and the way they affect each
other and the environment
❖ Endangered: in danger of being harmed, lost, unsuccessful
❖ Extinction: a situation in which something no longer exists
❖ Greenhouse effect: an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide and
other gases in the atmosphere, that is believed to be the cause of a
gradual warming of the surface of the earth.
67
❖ Harmful: causing harm
❖ Heatwave: a period of time such as a few weeks when the weather is
much hotter than usual
❖ Pollution: damage caused to water, air by harmful substances or waste
❖ Rainfall: rain, or the amount of rain that falls
❖ Threaten: to be likely to cause harm or damage to something or
someone
❖ Bushfire: a fire burning in the bush (=a wild area of land) that is
difficult to control and sometimes spreads quickly
❖ Ravage: to cause great damage to something
❖ Thurderstorm: a storm with thunder and lightning and usually heavy
rain
6. Conclusion
Through this assignment, I have gained a significant amount of
knowledge about newspaper style and stylistics in general. To be more
specific, I knew how an article structure, how to form a compound word
in articles, and the relations between parts of an article. I believe this
useful and practical knowledge will equip me with a strong foundation
for my future career as an English translator.
7. References
Materials in English
(1) Newspaper headlines: https://schools.firstnews.co.uk/blog/journalistic-
writing/newspaper-headlines-ks2/
(2) Features of a Newspaper Report:
https://schools.firstnews.co.uk/blog/journalistic-writing/newspaper-
headlines-ks2/
Articles for illustration
(1) Cox L. (2020) A billion animals: some of the species most at risk
from Australia’s bushfires crisis:
(https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/14/a-billion-
animals-the-australian-species-most-at-risk-from-the-bushfire-crisis)
(2) Dewan A. (2020) Mass evacuations, banned BBQs, sports events at
risk. Deadly fires are threatening Australia’s way of life
68
(https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/04/australia/australia-fires-lifestyle-
politics-analysis-intl/index.html)
(3) Guy J. (2020) Nearly three billion animals killed or displaced by
Australia’s fires
(https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/28/asia/australia-fires-wildlife-
report-scli-intl- scn/index.html)
(4) Guy J. (2020) After more than 240 days, Australia’s New South
Wales is finally free from bushfires
(https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/03/australia/new-south-wales-fires-
extinguished-scli-intl/index.html)
(5) Gralow J. and Paul S. (2020) Thousands flee fires in Australia,
navy helps evacuate the stranded
(https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-bushfires/thousands-flee-
fires-in-australia-navy-helps-evacuate-the-stranded-idUSKBN1Z100O)
(6) Kelly L. (2020) Australia tourism industry seeks urgent help as cost
of bushfires grows
( https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-bushfires-
idUSKBN1ZF027)
(7) Morrison J. (2020) How first Australian’s ancient knowledge can
help us survive the bushfires of the future
(https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/11/how-
first-australians-ancient-knowledge-can-help-us-survive-the-
bushfires-of-the-future)
(8) Morton A. (2020) Government to commit $50m for wildlife
(https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/13/government-
to-commit-50m-for-wildlife-affected-by-bushfires-as-green-groups-call-
for-
action#:~:text=1%20year%20old-,Government%20to%20commit%20%
2450m%20for%20wildlife%20affected%20by,green%20groups%20call
%20for%20action&text=The%20Morrison%20government%20has%20
pledged,already%20been%20driven%20to%20extinction )
(9) Mair J. and Duran P. (2020) Australia begins damage assessment
amid temporary respite from bushfires
(https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-bushfires/australia-
begins-damage-assessment-amid-temporary-respite-from-bushfires-
idUSKBN1Z30O1)
69
(10) McKenzie Sh. (2020) Australian Prime Minister admits
mistakes in bushfire crisis amid mounting criticism
(https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/12/australia/australia-bushfires-scott-
morrison-prime-minister-intl/index.html )
(11) Paul S. and Duran P. (2020) Probe into fatal Australia bushfires
plane crash complicated by dangers
(https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-bushfires/australia-
begins-damage-assessment-amid-temporary-respite-from-bushfires-
idUSKBN1Z30O1)
(12) Reuters Staff (2020) Australia’s bushfires make massive
clounds of pollution
(https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-bushfires-smoke-
idUSKBN1Z9150)
(13) Reuters Staff (2020) Australian budget surplus in doubt as
bushfire funding boosted
(https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-bushfires-
idUSKBN1ZJ029)
(14) Reuters Staff (2020) Drones to drop seeds to boost koala gum
tree numbers after devastating Australia bushfires
(https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/20/asia/drones-gum-trees-australia-
scli-intl/index.html)
(15) Readfern G. (2020) Explainer: how effective is bushfire hazard
reduction on Australia’s fires?
(https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/05/explainer-
how-effective-is-bushfire-hazard-reduction-on-australias-fires)
(16) Readfern G. (2020) “Silent death”: Australia’s bushfires push
countless species to extinction
(https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/04/ecologists-
warn-silent-death-australia-bushfires-endangered-species-extinction)
(17) Sullivan R. (2020) A unique pink slug feared wiped out by
(https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/29/australia/pink-slugs-australia-
fires-intl-hnk-scli/index.html)
(18) Yeung J. (2020) Australia’s deadly wildfires are showing no
signs of stopping. Here’s what you need to know
(https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/01/australia/australia-fires-explainer-
intl-hnk-scli/index.html)
70
(19) Vercammen P. and Chauvez N. (2020) The California
firefighters who volunteered to battle flames in Australia have
returned home
(https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/05/us/california-firefighters-australia-
return/index.html)
(20) Zdanowicz C. (2020) A 6-year-old is making clay koalas to
raise money for the Australian fires. He’s raised over $100,000
(https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/14/us/boy-makes-clay-koalas-
australia-fires-trnd/index.html)
8. Appendix
Selected articles about Australia Bushfires on Reuters, CNN, The Guardian
(full text of 20 articles)
(1) Cox L. (2020) A billion animals: some of the species most at risk from Australia’s
bushfires crisis:
(https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/14/a-billion-animals-the-australian-
species-most-at-risk-from-the-bushfire-crisis)
A billion animals: some of the species most at risk from Australia's bushfire crisis
Fires take an enormous toll on wildlife, with huge numbers of mammals, birds, reptiles and
insects killed
Australia’s continuing bushfire crisis has taken an enormous toll on wildlife, with huge numbers of
mammals, birds, reptiles, insects and other species killed.
The ecologist Chris Dickman has estimated more than a billion animals have died around the
country – a figure that excludes fish, frogs, bats and insects.
On Monday, the government announced $50m to help rescue and protect wildlife affected by the
crisis and environment groups released a list of fauna species for which they hold immediate
concerns.
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But the list is far from exhaustive and there won’t be a clear picture of the extent of the impact on
plant and animal life until experts can access fire-ravaged habitats and conduct assessments.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” James Trezise, a policy analyst at the Australian Conservation
Foundation, says.
“The number of species and ecosystems that have been severely impacted across their ranges is
almost certain to be much higher, especially when factoring in less well-known species of reptiles,
amphibians and invertebrates.”
These are some of the species experts hold concerns for:
1. Glossy black-cockatoo (Kangaroo Island sub-species)
Kangaroo Island is home to a unique sub-species of Glossy black-cockatoo and there are grave
fears extensive areas of critical habitat have burned in fires that have devastated two-thirds of the
island. In particular, there are concerns for the birds’ nesting habitat. Two decades of conservation
work by the Kangaroo Island community had brought numbers from as low as 150 in the 1990s to
as high as 400 before the fires. Preliminary analysis suggests 50%-60% of their habitat has burned.
2. Kangaroo Island dunnart
Even before the fires, there were concerns for the future of the Kangaroo Island dunnart, a small
marsupial found nowhere else in Australia. The species is listed as endangered under national
environment law and there are fears the fires may have wiped out the animals. Ecologists
have spoken about how cameras they set up to monitor the species in its habitat melted in the
flames.
The endangered Kangaroo Island dunnart, photographed with a sensor camera during a private land
survey, west end of Kangaroo Island. Photograph: KI Land for Wildlife
3. Koala
The fires in northern New South Wales in October and November tore through key koala habitat in
areas including Port Macquarie. Fires in East Gippsland in Victoria have also burnt through
bushland where the species is found. Additionally, the species was introduced to Kangaroo Island
in the 1920s and the island is home to Australia’s only populations of the species that are
chlamydia-free. Thousands of animals are estimated to have died in the disaster, however there are
populations in other parts of the country that are not fire-affected.
Humane Society International’s disaster relief team visit the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park which
is caring for koalas and other stricken wildlife. Photograph: Evan Quartermain/Humane Society
International
4. Hastings River mouse
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The Hastings River mouse is a small rodent that was already endangered under national
environment laws before fire tore through its habitat in northern NSW. It is one of the species that
experts will be looking to assess on the ground as not much is known about how it responds to fire.
There are populations outside of fire-affected northern NSW, but the impact on its habitat in that
region is believed to be large.
5. Regent honeyeater
Experts fear fires throughout NSW have destroyed habitat in several key parts of the state occupied
by the critically endangered regent honeyeater. Before the fires, less than 400 birds remained in the
wild. Birdlife Australia says preliminary analysis suggests habitat in Lake Cathie, Dunbogan and
from Forster to Old Bar has been affected by fires. One of the species’ main breeding strongholds
is in the Capertee Valley, north of Lithgow, where bushland has burned as a result of the Gospers
Mountain fire. The nearby Wolgan Valley is also a site used by the birds. Finally, nesting habitat in
Burragorang is feared destroyed by the Green Wattle Creek fire.
The regent honeyeater was already one of Australia’s numerous critically endangered animals
before recent bushfires spread through several of its remaining habitats. Photograph: Henry
Cook/Getty Images
6. Blue Mountains water skink
This endangered reptile is unique to the Blue Mountains, where fire has burnt much of the world
heritage area. Large tracts of habitat for the Blue Mountains water skink have been destroyed.
7. Brush-tailed rock-wallaby
The brush-tailed rock-wallaby is listed as a vulnerable species nationally, and endangered in NSW.
When fires destroy native vegetation they reduce the available habitat and food for species, even if
they survive the blaze. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service has been conducting air
drops of carrots and sweet potatoes for brush-tailed rock-wallabies in areas including the Capertee
and Wolgan valleys, Yengo national park, Kangaroo Valley, Jenolan, Oxley Wild Rivers and
Curracubundi national parks.
A brush-tailed rock wallaby, in the snow at the threatened native animal reserve Aussie Ark at
Barrington Tops, NSW in August 2019. Photograph: Lachlan Gilding/Aussie Ark
8. Southern corroboree frog
The fire at Dunns Road in NSW, now part of a mega-blaze, is making a slow march through alpine
country in the Kosciuszko national park. The northern part of the alps is a stronghold for the
southern corroboree frog, which is critically endangered. Experts also hold fears for the northern
corroboree frog if fire moves into the Namadgi national park. The area is not far from Ginini Flats
where the northern corroboree frog is found.
9. Quokka
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Bushfires in the Stirling Range in Western Australia have destroyed key mainland habitat for
the quokka. While the species has its stronghold on Rottnest Island, its mainland populations are
feared to have taken a major hit as a result of the bushfires. Fires also make the animals more
vulnerable to predators such as foxes and cats.
10. Western ground parrot
The critically endangered western ground parrot is one of Australia’s species most threatened with
extinction. Less than 150 individuals remain in the wild and a key threat to the remaining
population in Cape Arid national park is fire. A bushfire before Christmas stopped just short of the
bird’s habitat, but experts fear it’s only a matter of time before a fire goes through the area.
11. Northern eastern bristlebird
The northern eastern bristlebird lives in a small and shrinking part of north-eastern NSW and
south-eastern Queensland. It is estimated there were fewer than 50 left in the wild before this fire
season, and its habitat has been reduced by more than 50% since the 1980s. It is critically
endangered. Samantha Vine, of Birdlife Australia, said some of its Queensland habitat had been
lost to fires, but it was too early to know what had happened to its stronghold in NSW. “With such
a small population, the loss of any habitat and individuals is of grave concern.”
12. Greater glider
Fires in NSW and Victoria have burnt large areas of habitat for this small marsupial. Greater
gliders are already listed as vulnerable under national environment law and the species was already
suffering population declines in many areas before the fires. Experts say the bushfire crisis will
only increase the pressure on this species. Greater Gliders do have some key habitat in the
Strathbogie Ranges in Victoria that, fortunately, has been unaffected by fires so far this season.
Greater glider at night. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

It will take time until the real toll is known
Euan Ritchie, a wildlife ecologist at Deakin University, said some ecosystems would be able to
recover in a few years, others would take decades, and some more than a century.
Some, he said, “may not ever recover to anything like their former condition”.
“To really assess the impact of these fires properly, we need to get into areas once it’s safe to do so,
and begin the work of surveying plant and animal populations,” he said.
“Of great concern is that some of these burnt areas may burn again in the near future, due to the
impacts of climate change.”
(2) Dewan A. (2020) Mass evacuations, banned BBQs, sports events at risk. Deadly fires
are threatening Australia’s way of life
74
(https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/04/australia/australia-fires-lifestyle-politics-analysis-
intl/index.html)
Mass evacuations, banned BBQs, sports events at risk. Deadly fires are threatening Australia's way
of life
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison may have thought a visit to a fire-ravaged town would
help boost his image after a series of stumbles in handling the country's bushfire crisis.
That plan backfired Thursday in Cobargo, in the state of New South Wales, where residents made
no bones about their anger.
"You won't be getting any votes down here, buddy. You're an idiot. Who votes Liberal round here?
Nobody. No Liberal votes. You're out son. You are out," one man said, referring to Morrison's
conservative party, according to footage from CNN affiliate Nine News. "Go on, piss off!"
Another woman called the Australian leader a "d*ckhead," while yet another said she would only
shake his hand if he agreed to give more money to the country's volunteer firefighters. The
embarrassed Prime Minister could do nothing but get back in his car and drive away.
Amy and Ben Spencer on New Year's Eve at a showground in the southern New South Wales town
of Bega, where they are camping after being evacuated.
Deadly blazes have torn through huge swaths of Australia's east and south for months now, in the
most brutal fire season seen there in years. Across the country, 23 people have been killed and
about 6 million hectares (23,000 square miles) of bushland -- around the same size as Croatia --
have burned out.
The devastation and persistent clouds of toxic smoke hanging over major towns and cities are
begging the question, can Australia's way of life go on?
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The environmental situation won't change quickly, but in the dog-eat-dog world of Australian
politics, the country's leadership is something that could change overnight. Climate and energy
policies can make or break a leader.
Morrison could be in trouble over the fire crisis. He was forced to return from a family holiday
when the Australian media questioned why he was vacationing in Hawaii as so much of the
country burned. He took weeks to declare a state of emergency, releasing a highly controversial
religious discrimination bill at a news conference instead, while journalists fired tough questions at
him over a lack of funding for volunteer firefighters.
Morrison -- once a climate change skeptic who literally sang praises to a lump of coal in the
Australian parliament -- should be worried about what people think of him in towns like
Cobargo. The constituency has swung between the Liberal party and its center-left Labor rival
several times since the 1940s and is one of Australia's most reliable bellwether seats.
Most Australians want tougher action on climate change, according to the Australian Institute's
Climate of the Nation survey. Some 81% of Australians are concerned that global warming will
result in more droughts and flooding, while 64% think Australia should have a national target for
net zero emissions by 2050.
Yet this concern doesn't seem to translate at the ballot box. Australia has voted for a conservative
Liberal-National coalition government with a poor record on climate change for the last three
elections, even reinstating Morrison as leader last May.
Australia lacks a robust climate change policy, while the Morrison government stands accused of
trying to use accounting trickery to meet the country's emission reduction targets under the Paris
Agreement -- targets that critics say are too low in the first place -- while it also commits to new
fossil fuel projects.
Australia's political inaction on climate change can be hard to understand. Famous for its natural
beauty, the country suffers annual fires and intense drought. It is regularly smashing heat records,
and its rain patterns are becoming less predictable. Its seasons are beginning to look a little back to
front -- wildfires began in 2019 at the end of August, during the Australian winter.
About 85% of Australians live within 50 kilometers (31 miles) of the coast, so projected sea level
rises would have a dramatic impact on the way Australians live, studies show. Many Australians
have also never experienced such intense fires as close to the coast as they have this summer. The
country's biggest city, Sydney, has been shrouded in smoke more than 10 times hazardous levels on
several days in the past two months. Its capital, Canberra, had the worst air quality in the world on
Thursday, according to air pollution indexes.
A study of the 2019 election by the Australian National University offers some insight into why
Australians vote the way they do.
Concern for climate change has never been so high in the country. Twenty-one percent of voters
said either global warming or the environment were the most important issue affecting their vote.
But out of 10 issues, it still comes third after economic management and the country's medical
system.
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Labor is slowly losing its working-class votes to minor parties and, to a lesser extent, conservative
alternatives. Older Australians are more likely to vote for the Liberal party, and Australia's
population is aging.
Although wages are starting to stagnate, life has been prosperous in Australia for a long time -- it is
the only place on earth that has sustained economic growth for 28 years running.
Beaches look like war zones
Economics aside, Australia's climate and natural beauty makes its cities, like Sydney and
Melbourne, some of the most liveable in the world.
But that too is under threat. The beach, barbecues and sports that make up the Australian summer,
and arguably part of its identity, have all been affected by the fires.
In Mallacoota, a small town in the southern state of Victoria, the population usually swells from
about 1,500 to 8,000 during the Christmas period, as families with holiday homes and tourists
swim, surf and sunbathe on the white sand beaches with azure waters.
On New Year's Eve, those beaches weren't white and blue, but rather an "apocalyptic" red, as one
resident put it, with about 4,000 people fleeing to them to escape a raging inferno.
Better-known beaches, like Bondi in Sydney, have been unswimmable for much of the summer, as
the air quality soared to hazardous levels. Many commuters now don face masks like they do in
Beijing, which experts say do little to keep toxins out.
Barbecues, another favorite Australian pastime, are banned in many areas, and sporting officials
were monitoring the air quality ahead of the ATP Cup tennis tournament and a cricket Test match
between Australia and New Zealand in Sydney this week.
If Australians want to retain their quality of life, they must consider climate change policies that
not only address fires, but also other pollutants, such as traffic and industry, according to Ilan
Kelman from the University College of London's Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction.
Kelman pointed to London's Ultra Low Emissions Zone policy as a good example of a city that has
addressed traffic pollution, by charging people who drive into the city center and by investing in
clean-energy public transport.
"People make the decision to live in a mega-city, whether Sydney or London, and we know these
risks come. And if we choose to live there, we should be convincing our politicians, and electing
our politicians, who will deal with air quality, as London has done," he said. "Otherwise, they'll
have to accept all these life impacts which bad air brings
(3) Guy J. (2020) Nearly three billion animals killed or displaced by Australia’s fires
(https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/28/asia/australia-fires-wildlife-report-scli-intl-
scn/index.html)
Nearly three billion animals killed or displaced by Australia's fires
77
Nearly three billion animals were killed or displaced by Australia's devastating bushfires -- almost
triple the figure estimated in January -- according to a report released Tuesday.
The figure includes an estimated 143 million mammals, 2.46 billion reptiles, 180 million birds, and
51 million frogs, a report commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) found.
The number of reptiles is significantly higher than the others because there are generally more of
them per hectare (10,000 square meters) than mammals or birds.
"The interim findings are shocking. It's hard to think of another event anywhere in the world in
living memory that has killed or displaced that many animals," said WWF-Australia CEO Dermot
O'Gorman. "This ranks as one of the worst wildlife disasters in modern history."
With more than 15,000 fires across every Australian state, this was the worst fire season on record,
according to the report.
Researchers are still working to finalize the report, titled "Australia's 2019-2020 Bushfires: The
Wildlife Toll," but the three billion figure is not likely to change, according to a WWF statement.
The research was carried out by scientists from the University of Sydney, University of New South
Wales, University of Newcastle, Charles Sturt University, and BirdLife Australia.
78
"When you think about nearly three billion native animals being in the path of the fires it is
absolutely huge, it's a difficult number to comprehend," said Chris Dickman, a professor at the
University of Sydney, who is overseeing the research.
Project leader Lily Van Eeden, also from the University of Sydney, said the new report looks into
the effects of the fires over 11.46 million hectares (28.32 million acres).
"We believe a continent-wide assessment of the number of animals that might be impacted has
never been done in Australia before or anywhere else in the world," said Van Eeden in a statement.
"Other nations can build upon this research to improve understanding of bushfire impacts
everywhere."
This will "give other countries a window into the future of mega fires and their devastating impact
on wildlife," said O'Gorman, which is important as extreme fires become more common due to
climate change.
Dickman called for policy changes, such as stopping "manic land clearing," to cut the risk of mega
fires that deplete native biodiversity.
The authors called for improvements in habitat connectivity so animals are able to move out of the
path of fires. The report also said that rapid response wildlife teams should be established "that will
act to mitigate impacts on threatened species."
The final report should be completed by the end of August, according to WWF.
Previous research concluded that there is now a significant and immediate threat of extinction to
Australia's koala population following the fires.
A minimum of 5,000 koalas are estimated to have died, according to a report released by global
conservation group International Fund for Animal Welfare in March.
(4) Guy J. (2020) After more than 240 days, Australia’s New South Wales is finally free
from bushfires
(https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/03/australia/new-south-wales-fires-extinguished-scli-
intl/index.html)
After more than 240 days, Australia's New South Wales is finally free from bushfires
(CNN)The Australian state of New South Wales is officially free from bushfires for the first time
in more than 240 days, according to the area's fire service.
Months of devastating fires in Australia left at least 28 people dead, about 3,000 homes destroyed
and up to a billion animals affected.
On February 13 the fire service said all of the fires in New South Wales had been declared
contained for the first time this season.
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Now, all bushfires in the state have been extinguished.
"For the first time since early July 2019, there is currently no active bush or grass fires in
#NSW," tweeted New South Wales Rural Fire Service. "That's more than 240 days of fire activity
for the state."
Last month, the fire service described this latest fire season as "very traumatic, exhausting and
anxious."
The fire service's deputy commissioner Rob Rogers said it had been "a truly devastating fire season
for both firefighters and residents, who've suffered through so much this season."
New South Wales, which sits on the east coast of Australia and is home to the city of Sydney, was
the worst affected state in the country.
The fires were brought under control in part thanks to torrential rains, but the downpours brought
major flooding, damaging winds and dangerous surf.
Heavy rainfall in New South Wales led to the evacuation of several towns and scores of schools
were closed.
The fire service said last month that the rains helped to extinguish more than 30 fires over one
weekend, describing it as the "most positive news we've had in some time."
Australia faces a fire season every summer, but it had already had months of extreme heat and one
of the worst droughts on record when this one began.
There were fires in every Australian state, but New South Wales was hardest hit, with smoke so
bad in Sydney in December that air quality measured 11 times the "hazardous" level.
The blazes damaged World Heritage Areas, including the Blue Mountains and the Gondwana
rainforests in New South Wales and Queensland, according to Australian authorities.
(5) Gralow J. and Paul S. (2020) Thousands flee fires in Australia, navy helps evacuate
the stranded
(https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-bushfires/thousands-flee-fires-in-australia-
navy-helps-evacuate-the-stranded-idUSKBN1Z100O)
Thousands flee fires in Australia, navy helps evacuate the stranded
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BATEMANS BAY, Australia/MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of holiday makers fled
seaside towns on Australia’s east coast on Thursday as bushfires approached, and military ships
and helicopters began rescuing thousands more trapped by the blazes.
from tree to tree the country code for Mass
Fueled by searing temperatures and high winds, more than 200 fires are burning across the
southeastern states of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria, threatening several towns.
The NSW state government declared a state of emergency, beginning on Friday, giving authorities
the power to forcibly evacuate people and take control of services.
“It is hell on earth. It is the worst anybody’s ever seen,” Michelle Roberts said by telephone from
the Croajingolong Cafe she owns in Mallacoota, a southeastern coastal town where 4,000 residents
and visitors have been stranded on the beach since Monday night.
Roberts hoped to get her 18-year-old daughter onto a naval ship, which arrived off the town on
Thursday, in order to escape the fires and thick smoke engulfing the town.
The HMAS Choules is expected to make two or three voyages over the coming days, state
authorities said.
Elsewhere, long queues formed outside supermarkets and petrol stations as residents and tourists
sought supplies to either bunker down or escape the fires, emptying shelves of staples like bread
and milk.
More than 50,000 people were without power and some towns had no access to drinking water.
“Everyone’s just on edge,” said Shane Flanagan, a resident of Batemans Bay on the NSW coast.
Authorities urged a mass exodus from several towns on the southeast coast, an area popular with
tourists during the summer holiday season, warning that extreme heat forecast for the weekend will
further stoke the fires.
“The priority today is fighting fires and evacuating, getting people to safety,” Prime Minister Scott
Morrison told reporters in Sydney. “There are parts of both Victoria and New South Wales which
have been completely devastated, with a loss of power and communications.”
Eight people have been killed by wildfires in NSW and Victoria since Monday and 18 are missing,
officials said on Thursday.
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Temperatures are forecast to soar above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) along the
south coast on Saturday, bringing the prospect of renewed firefronts to add to the around 200
current blazes.
“It is going to be a very dangerous day. It’s going to be a very difficult day,” NSW Rural Fire
Service (RFS) Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said.
Following are highlights of what is happening across Australia:
*Naval officials said they would open registration for evacuation on Thursday afternoon, with the
HMAS Choules able to carry up to 1,000 people on the first trip.
*”It’s 16-17 hours to the closest boat port, then we’ve got to come back,” HMAS Choules
Commander Scott Houlihan said on Thursday afternoon. He said that leaving by boat was the only
way out of the town.
*Thousands of people had already been evacuated from the adjoining region of East Gippsland in
Victoria, one of the largest such operations in the country since the northern city of Darwin
evacuated over 35,000 people in the aftermath of cyclone Tracy in 1974.
*Five military helicopters were en route to the south coast to back up firefighters and bring in
supplies like water and diesel, the Australian Defence Force said. The aircraft will also be used to
evacuate injured, elderly and young people.
*A contingent of 39 firefighters from North America landed in Melbourne, bringing the number of
U.S. and Canadian experts who have flown in to help deal with the crisis to almost 100.
*Traffic on the main highway out of Batemans Bay on the NSW coast was bumper-to-bumper after
authorities called for the town to be evacuated. Residents of the town reported there was no fuel,
power or phone service, while supermarket shelves had been stripped bare of staples.
*NSW’s Kosciuszko National Park, home to the Snowy Mountains, was closed and visitors were
ordered to leave due to an extreme danger of fire.
*Morrison urged those waiting for help and those stuck in traffic jams “to be patient ... help will
arrive.”
*Morrison, forced to defend his government’s limited action on climate change, blamed a three-
year drought and lack of hazard reduction for the unprecedented extent and duration of this year’s
bushfires.
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*Bushfires so far this season have razed more than 4 million hectares (10 million acres) of
bushland and destroyed more than 1,000 homes, including 381 homes destroyed on the south coast
this week.
(6) Kelly L. (2020) Australia tourism industry seeks urgent help as cost of bushfires
grows
( https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-bushfires-idUSKBN1ZF027)
Australian tourism industry seeks urgent help as cost of bushfires grows
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia’s peak tourism body estimated the country’s bushfire crisis
has so far cost the industry almost A$1 billion ($690 million) and called for urgent help from the
government to lure back visitors.
Industry bosses were due to meet with Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham later on Thursday as
storms and heavy rain brought some respite from months of fierce bushfires across Australia’s east
coast.
The fires, which have killed 29 people and razed bushland across an area the size of Bulgaria, have
hit several coastal towns at the height of the profitable summer season.
“People have basically stopped travel,” Simon Westaway, executive director of Australian Tourism
Industry Council (ATIC), told Reuters. “And that’s absolutely understandable: human nature kicks
in.”
Even though recent cooler conditions have led some tourist destinations to reopen after they were
evacuated because of the fires, people remain wary of visiting.
Images of burnt-out towns, people huddled on beaches to escape huge flames, dead wildlife and
thick smoke hanging over major cities have been beamed around the world.
The qualifying rounds of Australian Open in Melbourne this week, the first tennis Grand Slam of
the year, have been blighted by complaints from players about the pollution.
“The imagery of the fires in the global marketplace is very bad for our country,” Westaway said.
“We are worried about the contagion that may have.”
Tourism accounts for more than 3% of Australia’s A$1.95 trillion economy, with 9 million
foreigners visiting the country annually and domestic tourism growing.
Accommodation booking cancellations in non-fire zones have reached upwards of 60%, while in
fire-affected areas there were no tourists at all, Westaway said. Many destinations rely heavily on
domestic tourism, as well as international visitors.
This week’s wet weather brought some temporary respite for fire-hit areas, but also came with the
warning of potential flash floods and lightning that could ignite new fires.
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison earlier this week welcomed a U.S. move to downgrade a travel
warning and has stressed that Australia is open for business.
Birmingham said he would seek firsthand feedback from tourism bosses at Thursday’s meeting and
devise a strategy to reassure visitors that many tourism destinations are untainted by fires.
Following are some highlights of what is happening in the bushfire crisis:
** The Australian Bureau of Meteorology provided some welcome news on Thursday with a new
forecast that there is a 50% chance that the bulk of the country’s east will receive average rainfall
from March 1 through May 30. Still, BOM warned that warned that follow-up rains will be needed
to end a three-year drought.
** There were 85 fires burning across the state of New South Wales on Thursday, with 30 of them
yet to be contained, while 19 fires were alight in Victoria, according to fire authorities.
** The rain has brought relief for a number of firefighters working across New South Wales state.
“Although this rain won’t extinguish all fires, it will certainly go a long way toward containment,”
state fire services said.
** Emergency responders in Victoria have dealt with nearly 600 cases of falling trees, flash
flooding and other damage in since late Wednesday and warned of more risks from storms starting
Monday.
** Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne ranked among the top 50 most polluted major cities
worldwide on Thursday, according to AirVisual’s pollution ranking for major global cities, with
winds set to bring more smoke to Melbourne over the weekend.
** The smoke haze that has plagued Australia’s major cities for weeks and has been tracked by
NASA circumnavigating the globe.
** Australia’s conservative government has softened its rhetoric on climate change amid the crisis,
acknowledging this week that changes are real and the country needs a strategy of “adaptation” and
“resilience”.
** Australia’s Wollemi Pines, giant prehistoric trees that were thought to be extinct until 1994,
were specially protected by firefighters as blazes swept through their secret location in a NSW
national park.
(7) Morrison J. (2020) How first Australian’s ancient knowledge can help us survive the
bushfires of the future
(https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/11/how-first-australians-
ancient-knowledge-can-help-us-survive-the-bushfires-of-the-future)
84
How First Australians' ancient knowledge can help us survive the bushfires of
the future
Indigenous people have been managing fire in Australia for 65,000 years. It’s time to ask
us how it’s done
In northern Australia, traditional owners’ deep knowledge of country allows them to use
fire to manage the land. Photograph: Helen Davidson/The Guardian
The debate about climate change in Australia is, among other things, a tragedy of massive
proportions – and a distraction from the reality that we have one planet that is, without
doubt, changing a lot faster than we ever anticipated.
Many of those commenting on the current bushfire crisis in Australia argue about fuel
reduction, hazard reduction, use of aerial incendiaries, drip torches, ancient Indigenous
techniques and western forms of fire management.
But to me, these fires suggest we urgently need a new dialogue and paradigm for living in
a rapidly changing world.
Having 45 years’ experience working with Indigenous people across northern Australia
and internationally on the management and development of our country, I am reminded
that Indigenous people and our knowledge have a significant contribution to make to
Australia’s future – if we wish to live sustainably on this continent.
Australia is built on lies, so why would we be surprised about lies about climate change?
85
We have to adapt or become extinct, and 65,000 years of living here suggests a good place
to start.
Over the decades, I’ve witnessed many conversations centred on how this great land is
managed, or in many parts, mismanaged.
Much of northern Australia is owned and managed by Indigenous people, now in many
parts by carefully and skilfully organised Indigenous ranger groups. Fire is, and always has
been, part of the interwoven matrix of the relationships between people and the physical
and spiritual world. The smell of smoke is expected to be in the air for half the year.
Behind this is a worldview where the land and sea and everything within it are to be
respected and cared for, which is where our popular slogan of “caring for country” came
from.
We don’t see fire as a bad phenomenon, but it surely can be if it isn’t respected and used
properly.
If you were to observe global emissions from fires over the past 10 years, many occur each
year in northern, western and central Australia, where Indigenous people have regained
their authority to “reignite” their country. It’s where western scientists have come to
understand that fire is ecologically inevitable and necessary. Having Indigenous
landowners burn it will lessen the large conflagrations that consume all in their path, the
sort of fires we have sadly seen in recent weeks in south-east Australia (fires that I
estimate to have burned considerably less territory than burns in northern Australia
annually).
Orthodox views about Australia’s environment and its management no longer work and
rapid adaptation is required – using lessons learnt by First Australians. No longer do the
seasons of summer, autumn, winter and spring align with the calendar as they did a
decade ago, nor do the wet and dry seasons of northern Australia.
The seasons in Australia should be defined by changes that occur in our environment, the
prevailing winds and astronomy, as Indigenous people did.
Currently, responses to managing fire are largely built around events in the calendar. By
contrast, Indigenous knowledge and management is responsive to the changes in the
country, regardless of the month; changes that in many places signal actions needing to be
taken.
For example, on Wardaman country west of Katherine in the Northern Territory, it’s now
coming into Yijilg, when the heavy rainfall arrives after a long build-up, with lighter rains
during the season Ngarruwun (heat and build-up storms). The descriptions of the seasons
are triggered by events occurring in the landscape and weather, not by the date.
As fire is such a big part of our lives, that too is informed by the biota and weather. In
western Arnhem Land, dryer cool air, combined with morning fog and flowering of the
Woolybutt (Eucalyptus miniata) signal Yekke season. This is the time to light small “cool”
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fires to create a mosaic throughout the landscape that breaks up the country, reducing
large hot fires later in the year.
This allows people to walk through country, and provides refuge for animals. The way
Indigenous seasons are defined and the way our actions respond to changes in country
allow for management that is locally relevant and involves a spiritual element, as well as
physical and mental. Being able to walk through country is a significant indicator.
Indicator species for fire would be apparent for southern Australia, even within these
modified landscapes. These indicators need to be reinvigorated and brought back into
knowledge through the active participation and guidance of Indigenous people.
Animals adapt to fire and some get involved. Karrakayn, the brown falcon, gets actively
involved in fire by picking up embers and moving them around to spread the fire so that it
can hunt, just like Indigenous people. I wonder how many of the millions of animals killed
in the current bushfires have ever seen or interacted with fire, making it almost impossible
for them to respond to bushfires.
People need to see and understand that an unburnt country is not “wilderness” and how
country should be – but country desperately calling for fire to rejuvenate it and restore the
balance of risks. Not uncontrolled damaging fires, but fires that are understood, planned,
patchy and regular – the fires of 1788 are informative.
Indigenous Australians have been the guardians of their territories for a very, very long
time – there is clear evidence suggesting a period of occupation of at least 65,000 years.
It’s time the nation adopted an approach that embraced the knowledge, wisdoms and
traditions of the people who had lived here sustainably for millennia.
There is a need to shift the way we collectively act and think in Australia, as well as in
other parts of the world.
We require economies to have responsive mechanisms to deal with the way the world is
changing – less rainfall in parts, longer fire seasons, rising sea levels and less freshwater
runoff – but we have to live with our environment, not against it.
Savanna burning, local capacity, authority and control – hard-earned lessons from the
north can provide immense opportunity in the south, aligning policy with employment
and enterprise to bring benefit to Indigenous, local and regional communities, and shift
the way lands are used and the economy works. There are profound opportunities right
now.
Is yearly burning so incomprehensible? Cool, patchy burns that reduce fuel and prevent
the likelihood of large-scale burning. The cost would be offset by the benefits to country,
people and the global community. We cannot afford to lose more lives, jeopardise our
health, lose our wildlife and spend billions repairing the avoidable loss of productivity and
life.
Indigenous people comprise 3% of the population but have unmatched and untapped
capital to bring to any future discussions and actions relating to the future of living in
Australia.
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The time for action is now. We simply cannot let our kids’ future go up in smoke.
• Joe Morrison is the managing director of Six Seasons, has Dagoman and Torres
Strait ancestry and has worked in northern Australia with Indigenous people,
governments, NGOs and international organisations leading Indigenous
management and development of the region.
(8) Morton A. (2020) Government to commit $50m for wildlife affected by bushfires as
green groups call for action
(https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/13/government-to-commit-50m-for-
wildlife-affected-by-bushfires-as-green-groups-call-for-
action#:~:text=1%20year%20old-,Government%20to%20commit%20%2450m%20for%20
wildlife%20affected%20by,green%20groups%20call%20for%20action&text=The%20Morr
ison%20government%20has%20pledged,already%20been%20driven%20to%20extinction
Government to commit $50m for wildlife affected by bushfires as green groups call for action
Conservation groups wrote to environment minister Sussan Ley expressing concern for at
least 13 animal species
The Morrison government has pledged $50m to help rescue and protect wildlife affected by the
bushfire crisis, with a promise of more to come, as environment groups warn some species may
have already been driven to extinction.
Government ministers said the commitment, drawn from the government’s $2bn bushfire recovery
fund, was a downpayment to be spent immediately on priorities in burned areas and planning for
longer-term protection and restoration of habitat.
Conservation groups wrote to the federal environment minister, Sussan Ley, and her state
counterparts on Thursday expressing concern for at least 13 animal species, and urging the
government to use a review of national environment laws launched last year to boost wildlife
protection.
The letter by five groups echoes earlier warnings by scientists in saying the fires may have
triggered extinction events for some threatened species.
It sets out a recommended emergency wildlife recovery plan, including that scientists and
conservationists be sent into the field immediately to identify and help at-risk animal populations
as part of a coordinated national response.
The federal government said its immediate priorities would be caring for and rehabilitating injured
wildlife, securing viable populations of threatened species, controlling feral predators and other
pests that are a major threat to vulnerable species after fires, scientifically mapping the damage and
working with landowners to protect unburned areas that act as “arks” in which plants and animals
could recover.
The treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, said $25m would go to an emergency intervention fund that would
be spent based on advice from a panel of experts led by the threatened species commissioner, Sally
Box. He said the other $25m would be available to support wildlife rescue at a local level by zoos,
natural resource management groups, Greening Australia and Conservation Volunteers Australia.
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“This initial investment of $50 million into the protection and restoration of our wildlife and habitat
is a critical step in creating a viable future for the animals that have survived,” Frydenberg said.
Ley said it was too early to know the severity of the fire damage, but it was clear it was an
ecological tragedy. She said the recovery effort would require collaboration between governments,
environment groups, scientists, farmers, communities, business, philanthropists and industry.
She said koala populations had taken an “extraordinary hit” to an extent that it may be necessary to
see whether the species should be considered endangered in parts of the country. Koalas are
currently listed as vulnerable.
Ecologist Chris Dickman, from the University of Sydney, estimates more than one billion
animals have been killed in bushfires that have burned more than 10.7m hectares (26m acres)
across the country. According to a Victorian government report leaked to the Age, fires in that state
have burned 31% of rainforests, 24% of wet or damp forests and 34% of lowland forests. Among
the worst affected species was the eastern ground parrot, which was believed to have lost all its
Victorian habitat.
The letter from conservation groups raises specific concerns for species that have had all or key
parts of their entire habitat burned. It lists 13 animals, including three critically endangered species:
the southern corroboree frog in the alps, the regent honeyeater in the Blue Mountains and the
western ground parrot on Cape Arid in Western Australia.
Others listed are the greater glider and long-footed potoroo in East Gippsland, the Kangaroo Island
dunnart and glossy black cockatoo on Kangaroo Island, the brush-tailed rock wallaby, Hastings
River mouse and eastern bristlebird in northern New South Wales, the quokka in Western
Australia’s Stirling Ranges, the Blue Mountains water skink and the koala in areas across NSW.
The letter says it is likely other species will have been catastrophically affected, particularly poorly
studied amphibian, reptile and invertebrate species.
“The devastating impact of these bushfires highlights the need for an effective and responsive
national environmental law framework to safeguard and recover our imperilled wildlife and
heritage places,” the letter says.
“The current EPBC [Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation] Act review provides
an opportunity to enact strong protections for critical habitats and climate refugia for species and
ecosystems.”
Environment groups welcomed the government’s $50m commitment on Monday as a good first
step, but said more would be needed.
James Trezise, from the Australian Conservation Foundation, said safeguarding species into the
future would require protection of critical habitats and funding for recovery actions as well as
stronger national environmental laws.
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Suzanne Milthorpe, from the Wilderness Society, said it was critical that state and federal
governments overcame a “lack of cooperation and buck-passing that have characterised the last
decade of environmental action in this country” and worked together.
Labor’s environment spokeswoman, Terri Butler, welcomed the funding, but said the government
had been slow to act and had a woeful record on the environment, including cutting environment
department funding by almost 40%.
Sarah Hanson-Young, from the Australian Greens, said $50m was nowhere near enough; that 10
times as much funding was required. “When Celeste Barber can raise as much money as the federal
government has committed to this tragedy, it shows (its) heart’s not in it,” she said.
The letter from environment groups, including Birdlife Australia, WWF and Humane Society
International, says the short-term response to the fires should include a rapid evaluation of damage
to world heritage sites and Ramsar-listed wetlands. The Unesco world heritage centre expressed
concern in November about bushfire damage to the Gondwana rainforests of northern NSW and
southern Queensland.
It calls for the review of EPBC Act, led by the businessman Graeme Samuel, to consider the
development and implementation of recovery and threat reduction plans for threatened
species. Less than 40% of nationally listed threatened species have formal recovery plans.
Launching the review of EPBC Act last year, Ley stressed it would “tackle green tape” and reduce
project approval delays.
Hundreds of scientists have called on the government to use the review to strengthen the law to
help address a worsening extinction crisis.
(9) Mair J. and Duran P. (2020) Australia begins damage assessment amid temporary
(https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-bushfires/australia-begins-damage-
assessment-amid-temporary-respite-from-bushfires-idUSKBN1Z30O1)
Australia begins damage assessment amid temporary respite from bushfires
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian authorities began assessing the damage on Sunday from
heatwave-spurred bushfires that swept through two states a day earlier, as cooler conditions
provided a temporary respite from blazes that have scarred the country’s east coast for weeks.
[Captions auto-generated & unedited.]

Finally some respite for residents in southern parts of Australia
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Light rain and cooler temperatures in the southeast of the country were a welcome change from the
searing heat that has fueled the devastating fires, but officials warned they were not enough to put
out almost 200 fires still burning.
“It certainly is a welcome reprieve, it is psychological relief if nothing else,” New South Wales
(NSW) state Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said in an afternoon briefing on
the situation. “But unfortunately it is not putting out the fires.”
Tens of thousands of homes in both NSW and Victoria states were without power on Sunday as a
large-scale military and police effort continued to provide supplies and evacuate thousands of
people who have been trapped for days in coastal towns by the fires.
Initial estimates put damaged or destroyed properties in the hundreds, but authorities said the mass
evacuations by residents of at-risk areas appear to have prevented major loss of life. Twenty-four
people have been killed since the start of this year’s wildfire season.
Fire officials said temperatures were expected to rise again during the week and the next major
flashpoint would come by Thursday, but it was too early to gauge the likely severity of the threat.
“The weather activity we’re seeing, the extent and spread of the fires, the speed at which they’re
going, the way in which they are attacking communities who have never ever seen fire before is
unprecedented,” NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.
Thousands of people have been evacuated from coastal towns at the peak of the summer holiday
season, in one of the biggest coordinated operations since the evacuation of Darwin after Cyclone
Tracy flattened the northern city in 1974.
Australia has been battling blazes across much of its east coast for months, with experts saying
climate change has been a major factor in a three-year drought that has left much of the country’s
bushland tinder-dry and susceptible to fires.
Following are highlights of what is happening across Australia:
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Singapore and Papua New Guinea have made offers of
military support; New Zealand was sending an additional three Air Force helicopters and crews,
two Army Combat Engineer Sections and a command element to support Australian Defense
efforts.
- As smoke cleared, about 350 people were due to be airlifted out of the Victorian town of
Mallacoota on Sunday, where around 1,000 people were evacuated by sea on Friday. That would
leave about 400 people who had chosen to stay in the community, The Age newspaper reported.
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- No fires were burning out of control in the New South Wales, but four fires in Victoria had
Evacuate Now or Emergency Level warnings.
- A threat earlier on Sunday to the NSW town of Eden had eased by late afternoon, and authorities
said evacuation was no longer necessary.
- Haze from the fires was turning skies orange as far away as New Zealand; police there asked
people to not call the emergency phone number.
- In Canberra, officials asked for 100,000 extra breathing masks from the national stockpile as the
country’s capital recorded the worst air quality in the world on Sunday, according to the IQAir
AirVisual global index. The masks are expected to arrive on Monday.
- Actors, popstars and Britain’s royal family stepped in to offer support for victims of the fires,
helping to raise millions for firefighting services and wildlife shelters.
- The death of a 47-year old man who was defending a friend’s rural property in NSW took the
national toll this season to 24. NSW Premier Berejiklian said there was no one unaccounted for in
NSW; Victorian authorities said four people were unaccounted for in Victoria.
- The federal government on Saturday announced an unprecedented call up of army reservists to

support firefighters as well other resources including a third navy ship equipped for disaster and
humanitarian relief. It also announced the creation of a federal bushfires response agency.
[L4N29902C]
- RFS Commissioner Fitzsimmons criticized the government for not informing him of its policy
proposal, saying he found out about it from the media and it created confusion on one of the busiest
days ever for fighting fires.
- PM Morrison also faced criticism for a video he posted on social media outlining how the
government is tackling the fires. Morrison has been under sustained attack handling of the crisis
after he jetted out for a family holiday in Hawaii. He apologized and returned early but was
heckled and snubbed when he toured fire-hit regions in recent days.
- More than 5.25 million hectares (13 million acres) of land has been burnt this fire season. Almost
1,500 homes have been destroyed in NSW state alone.
(10) McKenzie Sh. (2020) Australian Prime Minister admits mistakes in bushfire crisis
amid mounting criticism
92
(https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/12/australia/australia-bushfires-scott-morrison-prime-
minister-intl/index.html )
Australian Prime Minister admits mistakes in bushfire crisis amid mounting criticism
(CNN)Australia's beleaguered prime minister, Scott Morrison, has admitted there were things he
"could have handled much better" in the bushfire crisis and will propose a royal commission into
the disaster.
The prime minister has been heavily criticized for his tone-deaf interactions with fire-ravaged
communities and inaction over climate change.
In a lengthy interview with the ABC's Insiders host, David Speers, Morrison said the fires had
made his government "think a little harder" on how to provide comfort and consolation to the
victims.
A projection on the Sydney Opera House honors firefighters on January 11.

"These are sensitive environments, they are very emotional environments," said Morrison, adding
that "prime ministers are flesh and blood too in how they engage with these people."
Morrison said he will now put a proposal for a royal commission into the fire crisis to Cabinet. The
inquiry would look at how the government should respond and offer support to those affected.
Emissions targets will 'evolve'
Dozens of people have died, thousands of homes destroyed, and huge swathes of the country burnt
in the blazes that began months before the official fire season even started, putting fresh scrutiny on
the country's environmental policies.
Days before Morrison's interview, tens of thousands of Australians marched across several capital
cities calling on the government to act on the climate crisis.
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Morrison's government stands accused of trying to use accounting trickery to meet the country's
emission reduction targets under the Paris Agreement -- targets that critics say are too low in the
first place -- while it also commits to new fossil fuel projects.
Australia's current targets involve cutting carbon emission by 26 to 28% below 2005 levels by the
year 2030.
Asked whether the country would alter its emissions target, Morrison told the ABC that his
government "will continue to evolve our policies to meet our targets and to beat them."
"We want to reduce emissions and do the best job we possibly can and get better and better and
better at it," he said.
But he added that he wanted to do that "with a balanced policy" that "recognizes Australia's
broader national economic interests and social interest."
Prime Minister under fire
Morrison has also faced heavy criticism for taking a pre-Christmas family holiday in Hawaii --
something he cut short to return and deal with the fire crisis.
"In hindsight, I would not have taken that trip knowing what I know now," he said.
His return was met with fury by residents in the fire-ravaged town of Cobargo in the state of New
South Wales earlier this month.
"You won't be getting any votes down here, buddy. You're an idiot. Who votes Liberal round here?
Nobody. No Liberal votes. You're out son. You are out," one man said, referring to Morrison's
conservative party, according to footage from CNN affiliate Nine News. "Go on, piss off!"
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison tries to shake hands with a Cobargo resident.
Another woman called the Australian leader a "d*ckhead," while yet another said she would only
shake his hand if he agreed to give more money to the country's volunteer firefighters. The
embarrassed Prime Minister could do nothing but get back in his car and drive away.
For now, bushfires have eased slightly, according to the News South Wales Rural Fire Service.
But with weeks of the Australian summer still left, the risk is far from over.
(11) Paul S. and Duran P. (2020) Probe into fatal Australia bushfires plane crash
(https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-bushfires/australia-begins-damage-
assessment-amid-temporary-respite-from-bushfires-idUSKBN1Z30O1)
Probe into fatal Australia bushfire plane crash complicated by dangers
94
MELBOURNE/SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian officials were working on Friday to extricate the
bodies of three U.S. firefighters from a plane that crashed in remote bushland, as the area’s “active”
bushfire status complicated an investigation into the accident.
[Captions auto-generated & unedited.]

An active Bushfire status has complicated the probe
Officials said it was still too early to speculate on the cause of the crash of the C-130 Hercules
tanker plane on Thursday, killing its entire crew, just after it dumped a large load of retardant on a
huge wildfire in a national park.
“We are very much into the evidence gathering phase of the investigation,” Greg Hood, chief
commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which is leading the
investigation, told reporters. “We will not be speculating.”
However, he added that “we have nothing to suggest there was a systemic fault” when asked
whether other aircraft in use were safe.
Coulson Aviation, the Canadian firm that owned the plane and employed its crew, revealed on
Friday that all three were former U.S. military members with extensive flight experience: Captain
Ian H. McBeth, 44; First Officer Paul Clyde Hudson, 42; and Flight Engineer Rick DeMorgan Jr.,
43.
Firefighters in Australia held a minute’s silence and flags on official buildings in New South Wales
(NSW) state, where the plane crashed, were flown at half-mast as a mark of respect on Friday.
“We will forever be indebted to the enormous contribution and indeed the ultimate sacrifice that’s
been paid as a result of these extraordinary individuals doing a remarkable job,” NSW Rural Fire
Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said at a farewell near Sydney airport for 32 U.S.
firefighters who were returning home after weeks on duty on Australia.
ATSB investigators had to be escorted to the one-kilometer-long crash site by firefighters on

Friday and police were still in the process of securing the area, Hood said. Little of the plane was
intact and potential hazards included aviation fuel and unexploded pressurized canisters, he added
Hood said the ATSB expected to retrieve the plane’s black box cockpit voice recorder, use a drone
to 3D map the site, analyze both air traffic control and the plane’s data and review the weather at
the time of the crash.
(12) Reuters Staff (2020) Australia’s bushfires make massive clounds of pollution
(https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-bushfires-smoke-idUSKBN1Z9150)
Australia's bushfires make massive clouds of pollution
95
(Reuters) - Smoke from Australia’s bushfires has blanketed its major cities over the past month,
turned the sky over New Zealand bright orange and left sooty deposits on its glaciers and drifted
across the Pacific to South America.
Reuters used readings from NASA’s Global Modeling and Assimilation Office showing hourly
estimates of the amount of organic carbon released into the atmosphere to create an animation
showing the spread of smoke.
On Jan. 6, this amounted to an area of about 17 million sq km (6.5 million sq miles).
The organic carbon contains a substantial portion of fine particles known as PM2.5, which can
have a major impact on health and climate.
The tiny particulate matter can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the blood. It has been
linked to heart disease, strokes and cancer.
The U.N. World Meteorological Organization said on Tuesday that the brown sooty deposits
reported on New Zealand’s glaciers could accelerate the rate at which they are melting.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifications for 24-hour mean exposure to
PM 2.5 give an indication of how bad air quality is. A reading of anything above 250 micrograms
is considered “hazardous” the worst classification on the scale.
In Australia, air pollution readings in some towns have been off the charts. One station in
Goulburn, New South Wales, recorded a reading of more than 2,000 micrograms. This is higher
than data recorded in the Indian capital of Delhi its heavily polluted winter.
Skies as far away as central Chile have gone grey due to the smoke. The Japanese weather satellite
Himawari captured an image of a plume of smoke crossing the Pacific Ocean toward South
America on Sunday.
The fires, which have raged for months in Australia, have already emitted 400 megatonnes of
carbon dioxide, according to the EU’s Copernicus monitoring programme.
Since October, 27 people have been killed and thousands subjected to repeat evacuations as the
unpredictable fires scorched more than 10.3 million hectares (25.5 million acres), an area the size
of South Korea.
An end to the ordeal is not in sight, with one state official warning on Friday that the fires could
burn for weeks.
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“There is a long way to go in what has been an unprecedented fire event ... we know that we have
many weeks of the fire season to run,” Daniel Andrews, the premier of Victoria state, told a
televised briefing.
(13) Reuters Staff (2020) Australian budget surplus in doubt as bushfire funding
boosted
(https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-bushfires-idUSKBN1ZJ029)
Australian budget surplus in doubt as bushfire funding boosted
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia on Monday boosted emergency funding for small businesses hit by
bushfires that have ravaged the country for months, as the mounting costs of the disaster cast doubt
on the government’s ability to deliver a promised budget surplus.
The fires have killed 29 people and millions of animals, destroyed more than 2,500 homes and
razed an area roughly a third the size of Germany since September, and scores of fires continued to
burn on the east coast despite recent rain.
The Australian Open got under way on schedule in relatively clear air in Melbourne on Monday,
after thick bushfire smoke caused havoc with preparations last week and forced one player to retire
from qualifying.
“I definitely was concerned, and am ... That is still a concern for pretty much everyone,” seven-
times Australian Open champion Serena Williams told reporters.
Budget repair after years of deficits was a key promise ahead of last year’s election but Treasurer
Josh Frydenberg sidestepped a question about whether the promised A$5 billion surplus for the
year to June 2020 could be delivered.
“I’m not in a position to give a firm answer to that question because the full economic impact is
still uncertain ... Our focus is not on the surplus per se,” he told reporters.
The federal government has so far committed A$2 billion ($1.4 billion) for bushfire recovery, and
has already trimmed its earlier forecast surplus for 2019-2020 by that amount.
Grants for small businesses affected by the fires would be raised to A$50,000 each, from A$15,000
announced earlier, and interest-free loans up to A$500,000 also would be available, the
government said on Monday.
Several days of rain and cooler temperatures have reduced the number of active fires across the
country’s densely populated southeast and given authorities an opportunity to focus on the recovery
effort.
Violent hailstorms and damaging winds hit parts of New South Wales state including bushfire-
affected coastal towns on Monday, but hot and windy conditions are forecast to return to many
parts of NSW later in the week.
Here are key events in the bushfire crisis:
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*Early on Monday, 90 fires were burning across New South Wales, none above the lowest warning
level, and there were 28 emergency warnings in Victoria, including one flash flood warning.
*Firefighters warn that high temperatures and heat will return later this week, creating a return to
hazardous conditions.
*The Australian Open tennis tournament began in Melbourne. The city’s air quality was rated as
“good”, according to the Air Quality Index, having been “hazardous” less than a week earlier.
*The tennis community has raised more than A$50 million for bushfire relief, according to Tennis
Australia.
*The Australian tourism industry estimates the fires which have raged throughout the December-
January holiday season have cost it almost A$1 billion.
(14) Reuters Staff (2020) Drones to drop seeds to boost koala gum tree numbers after
(https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/20/asia/drones-gum-trees-australia-scli-intl/index.html)
Drones to drop seeds to boost koala gum tree numbers after devastating Australia bushfires
Specialized drones are being tested in a program to boost koala numbers on Australia's east coast,
dropping seeds of gum trees as part of a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) scheme to regenerate
bushland torched in the country's historic bushfires.
Gum tree leaves are koala's main food source, and restoring bushland and forest habitat razed in the
2019-2020 fires is key to their long-term survival in New South Wales state.
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The fires killed or displaced 3 billion mammals, birds and reptiles, the WWF estimates, and
destroyed or damaged up to 7 billion trees across 11 million hectares (37 million acres) of
Australia's southeast, equal to half the area of the United Kingdom.
WWF's Australia unit is seeking to raise 300 million Australian dollars (about $211 million) over
five years to fund the initiative to try the seed drones and other methods to revive forest habitat,
aiming to double koala numbers on the east coast.
"The magnitude of the bushfire crisis requires us to respond at a scale that's never been done
before," said WWF-Australia CEO Dermot O'Gorman.
"One of the new ways we're doing this is using drones that can put large amounts of seed across
landscapes and... reach inaccessible areas much easier," he said.
Some of the WWF drones can plant 40,000 seeds a day and will help create corridors so that koalas
and other wildlife can move across a landscape fragmented by fire and land clearing, O'Gorman
said in a statement.
In June, a parliamentary inquiry found that koalas in New South Wales state could become extinct
by 2050 unless immediate action is taken to protect them and their habitat.
Australia's most recent bushfire season was one of its worst ever, killing 34 people and destroying
nearly 3,000 homes, after years of drought left bushlands unusually dry.
(15) Readfern G. (2020) Explainer: how effective is bushfire hazard reduction on

(https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/05/explainer-how-effective-is-
bushfire-hazard-reduction-on-australias-fires)
1. Explainer: how effective is bushfire hazard reduction on Australia's fires?
Graham Readfearn
Australia’s bushfire crisis started much earlier than normal in August 2019, with thousands of fires
in Queensland and New South Wales.
Despite the evidence a claim persists that a major contributing factor of Australia’s devastating fire
season – and the deaths, loss of homes and environmental devastation they have caused – is not
climate change but a conspiracy by environmentalists to “lock up” national parks and prevent
hazard reduction activities such as prescribed burning and clearing of the forest floor.
On Saturday the prime minister, Scott Morrison, said after visiting fire grounds: “The most
constant issue that has been raised with me has been the issue of managing fuel loads in national
parks.”
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He claimed that people “who say they are seeking those actions on climate change” could also be
the same people who “don’t share the same urgency of dealing with hazard reduction”.
Prof David Bowman, the director of the fire centre research hub at the University of Tasmania,
said: “It’s ridiculous. To frame this as an issue of hazard reduction in national parks is just lazy
political rhetoric.”
On Sunday Morrison said he wanted to know “what the contribution of issues” around hazard
reduction were, but repeated that it had been an issue raised often with him.
He also said “without the planning, without the preparations” of state agencies, “I fear what has
really been a terrible tragedy would have been far worse.”
Are greenies stopping hazard reduction?
Hazard reduction is the management of fuel and can be carried out through prescribed burning, also
known as controlled burning, and removing trees and vegetation, both dead and alive.
Hazard reduction is carried out by fire authorities, national park staff and individual property
owners who can apply for permits to clear areas around their buildings. Coordination of activities
happens through local bushfire management committees. There are 120 committees in NSW.
The claim of a conspiracy by environmentalists to block hazard reduction activities has

been roundly rejected by bushfire experts, and experts say it is betrayed by hard data on actual
hazard reduction activities in national parks.
Prof Ross Bradstock, the director of the centre for environmental risk management of bushfires at
the University of Wollongong, has previously told Guardian Australia: “These are very tired and
very old conspiracy theories that get a run after most major fires. They’ve been extensively dealt
with in many inquiries.”
Former fire chiefs who have been calling strongly for action on climate change, and who have been
trying to meet Morrison for months, have also been calling for increased funding for hazard
reduction.
The Australian Greens say they want “an effective and sustainable strategy for fuel-reduction
management that will protect biodiversity and moderate the effects of wildfire for the protection of
people and assets, developed in consultation with experts, custodians and land managers”.
A federal government factsheet on bushfire management outlines how state agencies and people
can carry out a range of hazard reduction activities that have been exempted from national
environmental law, even if they “have the potential to have a significant impact on nationally
protected matters”.
How much hazard reduction has happened?
In the last full fire season of 2018 and 2019, the National Parks and Wildlife Service in NSW told
Guardian Australia it carried out hazard reduction activities across more than 139,000 hectares,
slightly above its target.
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There are two major restricting factors for carrying out prescribed burning. One is the availability
of funds and personnel, and the second is the availability of weather windows.
The 2018-19 annual report of the NSW Rural Fire Service says: “The ability of the NSW RFS and
partner agencies to complete hazard reduction activities is highly weather dependent, with limited
windows of opportunity. Prolonged drought conditions in 2018-19 adversely affected the ability of
agencies to complete hazard reduction works.”
The RFS said 113,130 properties had been subject to hazard reduction activities, which was 76% of
its target. The 199,248ha covered was 106% of its target.
Is climate change affecting hazard reduction?
A former NSW fire and rescue commissioner, Greg Mullins, has written that the hotter and drier
conditions, and the higher fire danger ratings, were preventing agencies from carrying out
prescribed burning.
But as well as climate change narrowing the window to carry out prescribed burning, Mullins said
some fires have become so intense they have burned through areas that had been subject to hazard
reduction.
Mullins has been fighting fires in NSW for months. Speaking to the ABC on Friday, he said he
witnessed a fire in Grafton in an area that had burned only two weeks previously, but “the burnt
leaves were burning again”.
He said: “There has been lots of hazard reductions done over the years – more by national parks
than previous years – but the fires have burned through those hazard reduction areas.”
Mullins dismissed suggestions that the bushfires were down to “greenies” preventing hazard
reduction activities.“This is the blame game. We’ll blame arsonists, we’ll blame greenies,” he said.
“When will the penny drop with this government?”
The National Parks Association of NSW’s president, Anne Dickson, has also responded to the
attacks on environmentalists.
In November 2019, she said: “The increasing intensity and frequency of fire is one of the greatest
threats to biodiversity and natural landscapes. It may be politically expedient to pretend that
conservationists exercise some mythical power over fire legislation and bushfire management
committees, but it is not so.
“Such wild and simplistic claims avoid the very real and complex challenges of protecting our
communities and the healthy environments that support our quality of life.”
Bowman said that separate to the “lazy political rhetoric” of blaming environmentalists, there
should be an examination of the benefits and limitations of hazard reduction.
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But he said there was also a reality to consider: “A lot of people are thinking that hazard reduction
burning stops fire. It doesn’t, but what it does do is to try and change its behaviour.
“But let’s say you embarked on the biggest fire reduction program the world has ever seen. What’s
the budget for that? Who will pay for it. Of course there is a place for hazard reduction but if you
have massive increases, where does the money come from? The reality is that you can’t treat
everything.”
What is climate change doing to bushfire weather?
The 2019-20 bushfire crisis coincided with Australia’s hottest year on record. On a state level,
NSW easily experienced its hottest year, with temperatures 1.95C above the long-term average,
beating the previous record year, 2018, by 0.27C.
Climate experts have said not all of that heat came from climate change, as two climate systems
were also working to push up temperatures and fire danger.
Fire authorities are guided on a daily basis on the risk of fires through the Forest Fire Danger
Index, a combined measure of temperature, humidity, wind speed and the availability of dry fuel.
Spring 2019 had been the worst year on a record going back to 1950 for bushfire risk.
A 2017 study of 67 years of FFDI data found a “clear trend toward more dangerous conditions
during spring and summer in southern Australia, including increased frequency and magnitude of
extremes, as well as indicating an earlier start to the fire season”.
A study of Queensland’s historic 2018 bushfire season found the extreme temperatures that
coincided with the fires were four time more likely because of human-caused climate.
On Sunday Morrison claimed the government had “always made this connection” between climate
change and impacts on Australia’s weather.
Advice shared with authorities around the country earlier this year from the National
Environmental Science Program said: “These trends are very likely to increase into the future, with
climate models showing more dangerous weather conditions for bushfires throughout Australia due
to increasing greenhouse gas emissions.”
There are also fears that large pulses of carbon dioxide emissions from Australia’s bushfires may
not be reabsorbed through regrowth of forests as they have in the past.
The fire season has seen several reports of bushfire-generated thunderstorms. Guardian Australia
has reported that 2019 would likely be a “stand-out” year for storms known as “pyroCBs” that
generate their own lightning and influence the atmosphere at heights of up to 15km.
A study in 2019 published in the journal Scientific Reports found that adding more greenhouse
gases to the atmosphere would create more dangerous conditions favourable to pyroCB events in
the future, particularly for the southern parts of Australia.
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(16) Readfern G. (2020) “Silent death”: Australia’s bushfires push countless species to
extinction
(https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/04/ecologists-warn-silent-death-
australia-bushfires-endangered-species-extinction)
'Silent death': Australia's bushfires push countless species to extinction
This article is more than 1 year old
Millions of animals have been killed in the fires but the impact on flora and fauna is more
grim even than individual deaths
Close to the Western River on Kangaroo Island, Pat Hodgens had set up cameras to snap the
island’s rare dunnart – a tiny mouse-like marsupial that exists nowhere else on the planet.
Now, after two fires ripped through the site a few days ago, those cameras – and likely many of the
Kangaroo Island dunnarts – are just charred hulks.
“It’s gone right through the under storey and that’s where these species live,” said Hodgens, an
ecologist at Kangaroo Island Land for Wildlife, a not-for-profit conservation group. “The habitat is
decimated.”
On Friday afternoon word came through that three other Land for Wildlife sites protecting dunnarts
and other endangered species, including the southern brown bandicoot, had also been consumed by
fire on the island off the South Australian coast.
Prof Sarah Legge, of the Australian National University, said the prognosis for the Kangaroo Island
dunnart was “not good” and its plight was symbolic of what was happening all across the east coast
of Australia.
“Many dozens” of threatened species had been hit hard by the fires, she said. In some cases “almost
their entire distribution has been burnt”.
So far, the Australian bushfire season has burned through about 5.8m hectares of bush, known
across the world for its unique flora and fauna.
Ecologists say the months of intense and unprecedented fires will almost certainly push several
species to extinction. The fires have pushed back conservation efforts by decades, they say, and, as
climate heating grips, some species may never recover.
Climate scientists have long warned that rising greenhouse gases will spark a wave of extinctions.
Pat Hodgens with burnt cameras that had been monitoring threatened species on Kangaroo
Island. Photograph: KI Land for Wildlife
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Now ecologists fear the bushfires represent the catastrophic beginning of a bleak future for the
country’s native flora and fauna.
“It feels like we have hit a turning point that we predicted was coming as a consequence of climate
change,” Legge said. “We are now in uncharted territory.”
Bushfires don’t just burn animals to death but create starvation events. Birds lose their breeding
trees and the fruits and invertebrates they feed on. Ground-dwelling mammals that do survive
emerge to find an open landscape with nowhere to hide, which one ecologist said became a
“hunting arena” for feral cats and foxes.
These fires are homogenising the landscape. They benefit no species
“It’s reasonable to infer that there will be dramatic consequences to very many species,” said Prof
John Woinarski, of Charles Darwin University. “The fires are of such scale and extent that high
proportions of many species, including threatened species, will have been killed off immediately.”
He said footage of kangaroos and flocks of birds fleeing fires was no evidence of their survival.
With fires extending so widely, they run out of places to escape.
“We know that the species that can’t fly away – like koalas and greater gliders – are gone in burnt
areas. Wombats may survive as they’re underground but, even if they do escape the immediate fire
front, there’s essentially no food for them in a burnt landscape.”
Woinarski said the critically endangered long-footed potoroo was restricted almost entirely to East
Gippsland, which has been devastated by this year’s fires.
In southern Queensland, much of the known range of the silver-headed antechinus “has been
obliterated by fires”, he said.
He said fires had always been a feature of the Australian landscape but in normal circumstances
extensive patches of unburnt areas were left, which helped species survive.
“There are no winners in fires like this,” he said. “These fires are homogenising the landscape.
They benefit no species.
“This is a harbinger of a bleak future for our wildlife. They have set back conservation in Australia
for a very long period, but [the fires] are a sign of an even more bleak future ahead. Because of
climate change, they will become more frequent and more severe. It’s a sad time for conservation
in Australia.”
He said it was “quite likely” the fires would have caused some extinctions but “we won’t know
until after this summer ends”.
“There’s an obligation now to do immediate reconnaissance for these species.”
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Legge offered other examples. The endangered Hastings River mouse, she said, had had about 40%
of its known distribution “toasted”. Fire has also covered about a third of the range of the
vulnerable rufous scrub-bird.
“Even some species that are not snuffed out completely will struggle in the coming months,” she
said. “I think this is the end for a number of species.”
One estimate of the number of animals affected by the fires has come from the University of
Sydney ecologist Prof Chris Dickman.
Using previous research compiled in 2007 on the impact of land clearing in New South Wales,
Dickman estimated that about 480 million mammals, birds and reptiles had been affected – but not
necessarily all killed. His estimate did not include bats, which are susceptible to fires and are also
critical for moving around seeds and pollination.
“There is a suite of small animals that live on the forest floor,” he said. “If the cover is removed,
then foxes and cats move in and they use the burned areas as open hunting arenas.”
You have these incredibly savage blows and these animals have not evolved to cope with it
As the fires moved into Kosciuszko national park, he was now concerned about the endangered
mountain pygmy possum.
One important factor, he said, was the ecological role that many affected animals played.
Bandicoots and poteroos help to move fungal spores around after fires that promote regrowth. If
those animals die, that “ecological service” goes with them.
Prof Brendan Wintle, a conservation ecologist at the University of Melbourne, said the scale and
timing of the fires was “terrifying”.
“If this is what we are seeing now are the beginnings of changes due to climate change, then what
are we looking at 2C or 4C? I don’t think we can get our heads around what that could be like. This
is not the new normal but it’s a transition to something we have not experienced before.
“This is really concerning, not just for the impact that this event will have, but the prospect of this
happening on a regular basis is really quite terrifying, and it will be to the point where forest
ecosystems have changed to have a different character. When they change you definitely lose
species.”
Wintle said species such as the yellow-bellied glider and the greater glider, already threatened by
climate change, would be severely affected. “These species require large old trees to den and they
can’t survive without at least some large old living trees in their range.”
He said East Gippsland was a stronghold for the two species but it appeared that “vast swathes” of
habitat had been burned in recent days.
A burnt brushtail possum rescued from fires near the Blue Mountains in New South
Wales. Photograph: Jill Gralow/Reuters
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Much of the known range of the endangered brush-tailed rock wallaby – a species already “right on
the edge of extinction” – had also been burned, he said.
Three-quarters of threatened species in Australia are plants, many of which exist in only small
pockets, such as the dark-bract banksia and the blue-top sun orchid.
“You can lose the lot in one big fire,” Wintle said. “If the timing is wrong, or the fire is too hot,
you can also lose the seed bank and that’s then another species on the extinction list.”
Prof Richard Kingsford, director of the University of New South Wales Centre for Ecosystem
Science, said the fires would rob many bird species of vital old-growth trees they need to breed.
Fire had taken away the invertebrate bugs the birds feed on, and that food source would not return
until there was significant rain.
“There are a whole lot of things that are ecologically off the scale,” he said.
“We won’t really know how much of a tipping point these fires have been, but the scale in terms of
extent and severity I think will be a serious problem for many, many species. It will set back
biodiversity in our forests for decades.
“You have these incredibly savage blows and these animals have not evolved to cope with it. These
fires are not, in the scheme of things, natural.
“We don’t see these smaller animals being incinerated. There is a silent death going on.”
(17) Sullivan R. (2020) A unique pink slug feared wiped out by Australia’s bushfires
has been found alive and well
(https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/29/australia/pink-slugs-australia-fires-intl-hnk-
scli/index.html)
2. A unique pink slug feared wiped out by Australia's bushfires has been found alive and well
By Rory Sullivan and Jessie Yeung, CNN
Updated 0644 GMT (1444 HKT) January 29, 2020
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.
(CNN)A bright pink slug species, found only on one mountain in Australia, has survived the
devastating bushfires that ripped through much of its habitat.
The unique, eye-catching creature only lives on the slopes of an isolated inactive volcano in New
South Wales, Mount Kaputar, from which they take their name.
After recent rainfall, rangers from New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service found
"about 60" Mount Kaputar slugs alive, according to a recent post on the organization's Facebook
page.
The survival of the Mount Kaputar slug comes after ecologists at the University of Sydney
estimated that around half a billion animals in New South Wales alone have been affected by the
bushfires.
The Facebook post added that there had been fears for this "unusual species" after the fires
impacted "much of its alpine habitat." "They may not be as cute as koalas or wallabies, but this
species also plays an important role in its ecosystem," the post said.
The Mount Kaputar slug, measuring up to 20 centimeters (7.9 inches), went mostly unstudied until
2013, when it was identified as a new species. Researchers had previously thought it was a
variation of the red triangle slug, also found in New South Wales.
The slugs have never been spotted anywhere but the summit area of Mount Kaputar, located in the
state's northeast. The effects of a volcanic eruption on the mountain 17 million years ago kept that
small summit area wet and full of greenery, as other areas of the country changed to dry desert-like
conditions -- meaning the animals living on the mountaintop were marooned for millions of years,
unable to live anywhere else.
But these species are under threat -- including the pink slug, listed as Endangered on the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Their
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high-elevation habitat is especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and may shrink as
temperatures increase, according to the IUCN.
Frank Kohler, senior research scientist in malacology at the Australian Museum, told CNN that
Mount Kaputar National Park is home to about 20 endemic species of slugs and snails, and is
known to be an endangered ecological community.
Kohler said: "This is good news that they've found these slugs. They give us hope that maybe the
impact of some of the fires are not as great as we thought."
However, he acknowledged that the park was not among the "more severely affected" areas of the
Australian bushfires and can only provide "just a glimpse" of the overall picture of devastation.
Kohler also cited the survival of the Wollemi pines, a prehistoric tree species in a national park
near Sydney, as another rare piece of positive news.
Speaking about the slugs, Kohler said that they, like many other species, have evolved to deal with
fire. In their case, they would have retreated into "protective crevices," such as rocks.
Although their main food source -- fungi and lichen -- will have been affected by the fire, Kohler
believes that these will grow back "relatively quickly" under the right conditions.
Mount Kaputar National Park is currently closed to members of the public because of the damage
caused by bushfires.
Since the fire season began in late July, large swaths of Australia have been devastated by the
worst bushfires in decades.
More than 20 people have been killed and millions of acres of land have been destroyed. The state
of New South Wales is the worst-affected state, with thousands of homes destroyed or damaged.
Ecologists at the University of Sydney estimate that more than 1 billion animals have been
impacted across Australia -- meaning killed, displaced, without food or shelter, or otherwise
affected.
That number is likely to be even higher in reality, as these estimates don't include insects, frogs,
and other invertebrates.
"It's a monstrous event in terms of geography and the number of individual animals affected," said
University of Sydney ecologist Christopher Dickman in a news release. "It's events like this that
may well hasten the extinction process for a range of other species. So, it's a very sad time."
(18) Yeung J. (2020) Australia’s deadly wildfires are showing no signs of stopping.
Here’s what you need to know
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(https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/01/australia/australia-fires-explainer-intl-hnk-
scli/index.html)
Australia's deadly wildfires are showing no signs of stopping. Here's what you need to know
By Jessie Yeung, CNN
Australia is being ravaged by the worst wildfires seen in decades, with large swaths of the
country devastated since the fire season began in late July.
At least 28 people have died nationwide, and in the state of New South Wales (NSW) alone, more
than 3,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged. State and federal authorities are struggling to
contain the massive blazes, even with firefighting assistance from other countries, including the
United States.
All this has been exacerbated by persistent heat and drought, and many point to climate change as a
factor making natural disasters go from bad to worse.
Where are the fires?
A satellite image of the bushfires burning across Australia on December 26.

There have been fires in every Australian state, but New South Wales has been hardest hit.
Blazes have torn through bushland, wooded areas, and national parks like the Blue Mountains.
Some of Australia's largest cities have also been affected, including Melbourne and Sydney --
where fires have damaged homes in the outer suburbs and thick plumes of smoke have blanketed
the urban center. Earlier in December, the smoke was so bad in Sydney that air quality
measured 11 times the "hazardous" level.
Haze from the bushfires is seen over Sydney's Bondi Beach on December 10, 2019.
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The fires range in area from small blazes -- isolated buildings or part of a neighborhood -- to
massive infernos that occupy entire hectares of land. Some start and are contained in a matter of
days, but the biggest blazes have been burning for months. In NSW alone, more than 100 fires are
still burning
What is causing the fires?
Each year there is a fire season during the Australian summer, with hot, dry weather making it easy
for blazes to start and spread.
Natural causes are to blame most of the time, like lightning strikes in drought-affected forests. Dry
lightning was responsible for starting a number of fires in Victoria's East Gippsland region in late
December, which then traveled more than 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) in just five hours, according
to state agency Victoria Emergency.
Humans can also be to blame. NSW police have charged at least 24 people with deliberately
starting bushfires, and have taken legal action against 183 people for fire-related offenses since
November, according to a police statement.
Why are the fires so bad?
Fire season in Australia is always dangerous -- the 2009 Black Saturday fires killed 173 people in
Victoria, making it the deadliest bushfire disaster on record. But conditions have been unusually
severe this year, fanning the flames and making firefighting conditions particularly difficult.
Australia is experiencing one of its worst droughts in decades -- the country's Bureau of
Meteorology said in December that last spring was the driest on record. Meanwhile, a heatwave in
December broke the record for highest nationwide average temperature, with some places
sweltering under temperatures well above 40 degrees Celsius (about 113-120 degrees Fahrenheit).
Strong winds have also made the fires and smoke spread more rapidly, and have led to fatalities -- a
28-year-old volunteer firefighter died in NSW in December after his truck rolled over in high
winds.
Experts say climate change has worsened the scope and impact of natural disasters like fires and
floods -- weather conditions are growing more extreme, and for years, the fires have been starting
earlier in the season and spreading with greater intensity.
Several high-ranking emergency service officials, including the former commissioner of the NSW
Fire and Rescue Department, sent letters to Prime Minister Scott Morrison in 2019 warning of the
impact of the climate crisis on Australia.
In response, Morrison emphasized a commitment to reduce carbon emissions -- but also said he
would stick to "sensible" policies, and that there wasn't "a single policy, whether it be climate or
otherwise," that can completely protect against the fires
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What has been the damage so far?
Bushfire survivor Melinda Plesman examines the remains of her destroyed property in Nymboida,
NSW.
Entire towns have been engulfed in flames, and residents across several states have lost their
homes. The heaviest structural damage occurred in NSW, the country's most populated state, where
1,588 homes have been destroyed and over 650 damaged.
In total, more than 7.3 million hectares (17.9 million acres) have been burned across Australia's six
states -- an area larger than the countries of Belgium and Denmark combined. The worst-affected
state is NSW, with more than 4.9 million hectares (12.1 million acres) burned.
Emotional moment couple returns to home damaged in fires 02:26
To put that into perspective, the 2019 Amazon rainforest fires burned more than 7 million hectares
(about 17.5 million acres), according to Brazilian officials. In California, which is known for its
deadly wildfires, just over 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres) burned in 2019, and about 404,680
hectares (1 million acres) in 2018.
A total of 28 people across Australia have died this fire season, including several volunteer
firefighters.
How many animals have died?

About half a billion animals have been affected by the fires across NSW, with millions likely dead
-- and that's a conservative estimate. That number of total animals affected could be as high as one
billion nationwide, according to ecologists from the University of Sydney.
The figures for NSW include birds, reptiles, and mammals, except bats. It also excludes insects and
frogs, so the real sum is almost certain to be higher, the ecologists said.
Almost a third of koalas in NSW may have been killed in the fires, and a third of their habitat has
been destroyed, said Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley.
Animals badly burnt by Australian wildfires euthanized 02:54
Some species, like koalas, aren't in any immediate danger of extinction because they are spread out
across the country, said the university ecologists. But others that live in more niche environments
with lower populations, including certain types of frogs and birds, could be wiped out entirely if
their habitats are hit by the fires.
These are pretty good estimates based on previous research on population density -- but until the
fires stop, researchers have no way of surveying just how extensive the damage is, and exactly how
many animals have died
What is being done?
State and federal authorities have been working to combat the fire crisis for months.
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Early in January, Victoria declared a state of disaster and NSW declared a state of emergency --
both granting extraordinary powers and additional government resources to battle the fires. The
state of Queensland also briefly declared a state of emergency in November.
There are more than 2,000 firefighters working on the ground in NSW alone, and more support is
on the way -- the US, Canada, and New Zealand have sent additional firefighters to help.
The federal government has also sent in military assistance like army personnel, air force aircraft,
and navy cruisers for firefighting, evacuation, search and rescue, and clean-up efforts.
The Morrison administration has also allocated billions of dollars in federal aid, to help rebuild
vital infrastructure like schools and health facilities struck by fire.
The prime minister earlier said up to $4,200 will go to each of the volunteer firefighters battling
blazes for more than 10 days. Other relief measures include compensated pay and extra leave for
volunteer firefighters.
When will the fires end?
Unfortunately, Australia is only about halfway through its summer season. Normally, temperatures
peak in January and February, meaning the country could be months away from finding relief.
The fires are unlikely to end entirely since they are an annually occurring event -- and may even
get worse if recent years are a guide
How can I help?
Donations can be made to several organizations working toward victim relief and recovery,
including the Australian Red Cross, Salvation Army Australia, the NSW Rural Fire Service, and
the St. Vincent de Paul Society Australia.
You can also help the devastated animal population by giving to wildlife rescue and treatment
groups like WIRES, the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, and Currumbin Wildlife Hospital.
(19) Vercammen P. and Chauvez N. (2020)The California firefighters who

volunteered to battle flames in Australia have returned home
(https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/05/us/california-firefighters-australia-return/index.html)
The California firefighters who volunteered to battle flames in Australia have returned home
By Paul Vercammen and Nicole Chavez, CNN
Los Angeles (CNN)Capt. Leonard Dimaculangan hugged his daughter for the first time in a month
after battling flames half way across the world in Australia.
"I'm glad that he gets to help me with my homework now," Dimaculangan's daughter, Promise,
joked.
112
Dimaculangan and 19 other firefighters with Angeles National Forest returned to California on
Wednesday after they volunteered to help contain the devastating bushfires in Australia.
While the firefighters created fire break lines and cut down or cleared burned trees as they have
done many times back home, they had to learn how to handle burning eucalyptus trees and the
lingo of their counterparts.
"The dead standing trees are called 'snags' in California and in Australia they call them 'stags,'"
Dimaculangan explained at the homecoming, held at the Los Angeles Fire Department's Station 5.
Capt. Leonard Dimaculangan was battling blazes near the Buffalo Mountain National Park in
Victoria.
Since the fire season began in late July, large swaths of Australia have been devastated by the
worst bushfires in decades.
"close dialog"
More than 20 people have been killed and millions of acres of land have been seared. New South
Wales is the worst-affected state, with thousands of homes destroyed or damaged.
Thousands of paid and volunteer firefighter have been working around the clock as they battle the
brushfires. Late last year, the United States joined an international effort to support them.
"They are very professional. They know their business, they know the work that needs to be done
and much of their strategy and their performance is similar to ours," said firefighter Jonathan
Merager.
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Merager's wife, Starlyn, was happy to see her husband unharmed because "anything could have
gone wrong."
On every call and text to her husband, she would constantly remind him to be smart and keep "one
foot in the black."
"It means to keep one foot in the area that's already been burned. If the fire starts coming down on
you, you can quickly get in the burned area, so you don't get burned over," Starlyn Merager said.
It's not the first time the countries have helped each other out. Australia and New Zealand have
been sending firefighters to the United States for more than 15 years, the US Forest Service says.
In 2018, nearly 140 firefighters from Australia and New Zealand were deployed to California,
Oregon and Washington for nearly a month. They relieved exhausted firefighters battling the
deadly Carr fire near Redding, California, and assisted with helicopter operations. The last time US
firefighters worked in Australia was 2010.
(20) Zdanowicz C. (2020) A 6-year-old is making clay koalas to raise money for the
Australian fires. He’s raised over $100,000
(https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/14/us/boy-makes-clay-koalas-australia-fires-
trnd/index.html)
A 6-year-old is making clay koalas to raise money for the Australian fires. He's raised over
$100,000
By Christina Zdanowicz, CNN
Updated 1741 GMT (0141 HKT) January 16, 2020
a
(CNN)One little boy has done so much to help his animal friends in Australia and he's doing it by
making one clay koala at a time.
Owen Colley, a 6-year-old from Hingham, Massachusetts, was upset to learn about the Australian
bushfires two weeks ago, his mom Caitlin Colley said. He asked if any animals had been hurt in the
fire and his mom said yes.
Quiet, he left the room and drew a picture of a kangaroo, a koala and a dingo in the rain. The
picture represented his wish for Australia, a wish for rain and wildfire relief, his mom said.
"It was really the first time Owen had made a wish for something other than Lego or something
other than himself," Caitlin Colley told CNN on Tuesday. "We asked him if he wanted to help
and ... together we came up with this. We could make some clay koalas and give them in response
to donations from friends and family."
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Six-year-old Owen Colley has made about 55 clay koalas so far.
Owen started making little gray koalas out of clay and his parents set up a way for people to donate
to Wildlife Rescue South Coast, a wildlife rescue group in New South Wales. The Colley family is
sending one of Owen's koalas to each person who donates $50 or more. So far, he's made about 55
clay koalas.
As of Tuesday evening, Owen has raised more than $20,000 for the rescue group in just a week, his
mom said. It started with $1,000 in donations via Venmo in an Instagram post, which was their
fundraising goal. It got so big that the family launched a GoFundMe campaign.
"close dialog"
.
He wants people to know more about Australia
"I want them to know more about Australia and I want them to know more about what animals are
in Australia," Owen said.
The kindergartner knows a lot of animals from Australia and he can prove it. He rattled off a list of
animals: Tasmanian devil, kangaroo, wombat, kookaburra and koala.
While it's about helping the animals, Owen is also helping because he has a connection to
Australia. His father, Simon, grew up in the suburbs of Sydney and Owen even lived in Australia
for a few months when he was a toddler.
115
"He has a pull to Australia," Colley said. "He's very proud of the fact that he lived there. I don't
think he remembers any of it but he's proud of it."
Owen talked about missing Australia and wanting to go back. His mom said he was sad when she
told him it wasn't a good time to go because of the fires.
Making each koala with 6-year-old hands
Owen already enjoys making clay creations, so making these special koalas for a good cause made
sense, Colley said. His mom made a sketch of the koala, an iconic Australian animal, and together
they created the design for the clay creatures.
It takes 3 or 4 minutes to make each koala. Making the koala heads is Owen's favorite part, he said.
Owen uses silver Sculpey clay to make the koala's head and body. He adds white clay to make its
fluffy ears and black clay to shape the animal's face.
Owen's clay koalas will go to the homes of people who donated $50 or more.
The koalas bake in the oven at 275 degrees and that takes 17 minutes, Colley said. The creations
are called Owen's clay koalas.
So far, Owen has made about 55 koalas. The only problem is that he ran out of clay. His mom said
she's bought all the Sculpey clay she could find within a 20-mile radius and they're waiting for
more to ship in.
"We're seeing all of the donations coming in and we're like, 'Oh my gosh, we don't have the clay,'"
Colley said. "We have every intention to fulfill every koala, it just won't happen by tomorrow. It's a
6-year-old using his little hands to make the spaces and the ears, so it does take time."
The donations range from $5 to up to $150, Colley said. Donations that earn an Owen-created
koala have come in from just about every US state, Colley said. Mom and dad will pay the
shipping costs of the koalas when they're ready to be sent out.
Owen aspires to help more organizations and help animals across Australia, Colley said. The
family is looking at how to do that.
Owen's parents are explaining the online campaign in a way he can understand it. Every $25 raised
helped feed a joey for a month. A joey is Aussie slang for a young kangaroo. They've helped
hundreds of joeys thus far.
Colley hopes that other parents and children can find ways to help with those affected by the
bushfires.
"Anyone can make a difference and when we come together we can make an even bigger
difference," Colley said. "I just I love the idea that maybe other kids can take this to their
communities and sell little clay koalas locally and raise money for this great cause."
116

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39 St&ENS Linh TruongKhanh EnglishInArticlesAboutAustralia'sBushfires June 18th 2021

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ACADEMY OF JOURNALISM AND COMMUNICATION

Faculty of Foreign Languages

English in Articles about Australia’s bushfires on

(An assignment on Stylistics and English Newspaper

By: Truong Khanh Linh – ETE39

Supervisor: Assoc. Prof, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Huong

1.2. Aims of the study

1.3. Limitations of the study

2. Typical structure of an article on “Australia’s Bushfires” on

Caption A wallaby eats after NSW's National Parks

Lead Australia’s peak tourism body estimated the

Bodies Industry bosses were due to meet with

Caption Local Will Baker cuts dead trees at the

Australian officials were working on Friday

Officials said it was still too early to

A satellite image shows wildfires burning

Australia begins damage assessment amid

Australian authorities began assessing the

Light rain and cooler temperatures in the

Smoke billows during bushfires in Buchan,

Tens of thousands of holiday makers fled

Bodies Fueled by searing temperatures and high

“It is going to be a very dangerous day. It’s

❖ Article 5: Australia’s bushfires make massive clouds of pollution

A snowgun is seen at Charlotte Pass, Snowy

Smoke from Australia’s bushfires has

Reuters used readings from NASA’s Global

“There is a long way to go in what has been

Burnt bushland on Kangaroo Island,

Australia on Monday boosted emergency

The National Parks and Wildlife Service in

A study in 2019 published in the journal

The habitat of the endangered southern

Millions of animals have been killed in the

“We won’t really know how much of a

“We don’t see these smaller animals being

A wallaby eats a carrot air-dropped in

Some, he said, “may not ever recover to

Ending “To really assess the impact of these fires

“Of great concern is that some of these burnt

A statellite image of the bushfires

A person prepares to conduct drone

Specialized drones are being tested in a

An animal rescurer carries a kangaroo

Caption Images from a journalist

Caption Leonard Dimaculangan was battling blazes

Caption Many feared the pink slug could be among

Caption Six-year-old Owen Colley has made

Caption A projection on the Sydney Opera

Caption An injured young Koala rests at the

Caption In northern Australia, traditional

3. Linguistic features of articles on “Australia’s Bushfires” on

3.1.2. Structure of headlines

(6) Article 6: Australian budget surplus in doubt as bushfire funding

(15) Article 19: Government to commit $50 million for wildlife

2. Australian officials Who: Australian

3.1.6. Endings in articles on “Australia’s bushfires” on Reuters, CNN and

3. Australia has been battling

4. “It is going to be a very Quote ending: an ending that

7. A study in 2019 published Proximity ending: using

8. “There are a whole lot of Quote ending: an ending that

9. Euan Ritchie, a wildlife Quote ending: an ending that

10.Donations can be made to Proximity ending: using