Australia’s bushfire crisis makes headlines around the world
From London to New York and Singapore, the devastating bushfires in Australia have been reported on by media around the globe, highlighting the “wildfires” and the plight of residents as many fled for their lives.
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Australia’s bushfire crisis has sparked front page headlines around the globe – alongside images of Sydney’s spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks display.
From London to New York and Singapore, media around the world are running prominent stories about the “wildfires” and the plight of residents stranded on beaches.
At the same time, many of the newspapers and television stations kicked off New Year’s coverage using the footage of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House lit up by the fireworks.
The UK’s morning newspaper The I devoted its entire front page with a major story headlined “Australia ablaze” and underneath ran a smaller story titled “Happy 2020”, using photographs of the Sydney fireworks.
Apocalyptic images of red skies captured the attention of many outlets, with the UK’s Sun newspaper describing Australia as “hell on earth” and reported an “army helicopters sent to rescue 4000 trapped on beaches”.
The beaches were also a big theme in many world newspapers, as well as online.
The New York Times article about the crisis said “Thousands flee to shore as Australian fires turn skies blood red”, while the LA Times reported on the rising death toll as “Australian wildfires burn on, with no rain in sight”.
Breaking News: Thousands of Australians fled to shorelines to escape fires as the country’s east coast was dotted with apocalyptic scenes that included a blood-red sky. At least two people died. https://t.co/y7Y4qFF9Xj
— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 31, 2019
In the UK, Metro UK ran headlines stating “Thousands flee to beaches as raging wildfires turn Australia red and block out sun”.
Cable news network CNN also focused on thousands of Australians forced to shelter in the Victorian seaside town of Mallacoota, at the same time as using an images from Sydney Harbour to kick off its coverage of NY celebrations around the world.
Images of the Sydney fireworks were also shared by China’s official state-run press agency, while the Singapore’s Straits Times told readers that “Smoky Sydney kicks off New Year parties around the world”.
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The Vietnam Times said Sydney’s huge fireworks display kicked off “celebrations for billions around the world” and rung in the new decade.
The UK’s The Express described Sydney’s 9pm fireworks as “breathtaking” and “stunning” and the BBC shared images of the Sydney Harbour Bridge bursting into a fiery display, saying “bangs and flashes set off a new decade”.
Al Jazeera was more concerned about the plight of our koalas, with its headline “thousands of koalas feared dead in Australia wildfires”.
#thisisfine #AustraliaFires https://t.co/Sx3DTUUZOn
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) December 31, 2019
With Australia on fire and the Arctic in meltdown, it's clear we're in a climate emergency. I'm proud to support @EarthshotPrize from @KensingtonRoyal, a new effort to inspire Earth's greatest problem solvers to repair the natural world. https://t.co/5LE0W7TAms
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) December 31, 2019
The bushfires also got a response from climate change activist Greta Thunberg and US politician Hillary Clinton, with them citing climate change.
Thunberg voiced her opinion on the bushfires on Twitter, using the hashtag #thisisfine, while Clinton tweeted: “It’s clear we’re in a climate emergency.”