Well, January 2003 looks like something of a repeat of the bushfires around Christmas 2001 & early 2002. Destruction & fearful scenes in Canberra. Over 400 homes lost in one area in one day (& 4 dead people). Lord knows how many lifestock & wildlife. The historic & still currently well-used Mount Stromlo Observatory & its workshop where we were building our contribution to the Very Large Telescope.

Every year in Australia we lose about 4,000 homes & 200 lives to non-bush fires. That's 10% of the annual property loss & 2% of the annual lives lost in one day (less than 0.3% of a year). Meanwhile people are blaming the bush & those who care for it, after firstly cutting off resources to properly manage it, & then allowing builders to put houses with no defences right in amongst it. Why are so many people so instinctively, thoughtlessly, viciously destructive?
[permalink][comment] - posted by Mez @ 1/20/2003 08:19:00 pm