It's Getting Hot In Here...

For those five people out there who live under rocks and have no interest in the outside world, Australia is on fire. No, really. Wildfires have been raging across the continent, wiping out entire towns and killing almost 200 people at last count. It's a very, very bad situation, and while it's not unprecedented (wildfires are common in some parts of the Australian outback) it's far and away the worst, most widespread series of fires in recent history.

As usual, the culprit is global warming. According to recent studies, Australian greenhouse emissions are getting so bad, scientists expect a 3 degree upward standard in the next twenty years, and a 6 degree raise by 2070. That doesn't bode well for a country ill-suited to deal with widespread fires (though you'd think they would have figured out more efficient protocols by now).

Seriously folks, this is only the first wave in a long series of negative repercussions we're going to see as a result of global warming. I hate to beat a dead horse, but isn't it time we start treating this issue with the gravity it's due? How many people have to die because of our negligence? How far must this fire spread before we all realize that all the stop-gap extinguishers in the world aren't going to stop the flames? Prevention is key, here, in my opinion.

Check out the full story here.