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Yes, arsonists started some of Australia's fires. No, it doesn't mean climate change is fake

Photo by Issy Bailey on Unsplash

With vast swaths of Australia up in flames, debates are raging over what has caused the unprecedentedly intense fire season. And along with those debates, a slew of disinformation is swirling around the internet, clouding people's understanding of what's happening in the land down under.

Recent headlines about people being arrested on arson charges have only added confusion to the chaos. So let's clear a few things up.

The New South Wales police department has stated that 183 people, including 40 juveniles, have been arrested on fire-related charges during the 2019/2020 bush fire season. The police department noted:

24 people have been charged over alleged deliberately-lit bushfires
53 people have had legal actions for allegedly failing to comply with a total fire ban, and
47 people have had legal actions for allegedly discarding a lighted cigarette or match on land.

New South Wales has been hit hard by the fires, as has the state of Victoria. However, a Victoria spokeswoman told The Guardian, "There is currently no intelligence to indicate that the fires in East Gippsland and the North East have been caused by arson or any other suspicious behavior."

However, media outlets ran with '183 people arrested for arson!' (or the more exaggerated '200 arsonists arrested!)' headlines, which bots and trolls and people who don't actually read articles started sharing as fact. Climate change deniers began pointing to such headlines as proof that claims of climate change contributing to the out-of-control fire season are bunk. Conspiracy theorists started claiming that environmentalists and eco-terrorists are the ones starting the fires as a way to push the big, bag climate change agenda.

Oof, people. Let's look at what we know.

RELATED: Climate change is not a partisan issue. So, let's stop treating it like one.

Yes, some fires in Australia were started by arsonists. That's actually not unusual. More fires appear to have been started by people being negligent—also not unusual. Fires in remote areas are most likely to be caused by lightning. In fact, there are nine causes of fire ignition recognized by fire investigators—and no, climate change is not one of them. But that doesn't mean climate change isn't a contributing factor.

— (@)

What some people seem to be missing is that no one is claiming that climate change itself is igniting fires. That doesn't even make logical sense. Where climate change plays a role is in setting the stage for fires to start and spread easily. Intensely dry, hot conditions—which are exacerbated by global warming—create a virtual tinderbox out of the landscape.

Stefan Rahmstorf, climatologist and lead author of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fourth Assessment Report, says the bushfires have been exacerbated by two factors that have "well-established" links to climate change: drought and record heat. Last summer was the hottest on record in Australia, and the country has also seen record-low rainfall this season.

"Due to enhanced evaporation in warmer temperatures, the vegetation and the soils dry out more quickly," Rahmstorf told Time. "So even if the rainfall didn't change, just the warming in itself would already cause a drying of vegetation and therefore increased fire risk."

RELATED: Want to see stronger climate change policies? Elect more women as lawmakers

People pointing to the arson headlines seem desperate to downplay the role climate change is playing in the bushfires, but scientists aren't having it.

"There are now disingenuous efforts to downplay the clear role of climate change in worsening the intensity and severity of the Australian fires, or to blame 'arson' as a way to distract from the growing threat of climate change," Peter Gleick, climate scientist and co-founder of Pacific Institute in California, told Time. "These efforts should be called out for what they are: gross climate denial."

So yeah. Fires start for many reasons, including arson and negligence. That's not debatable. But fires spread faster in certain conditions, and the fire conditions in Australia this season are linked to climate change. That's not debatable, either. Arson arrests aren't any kind of proof that climate change isn't real. Not even close.

From Your Site Articles

climate change

Heroes

Environmental anguish getting you down? Bill Nye and Arnold Schwarzenegger have some advice.

'Deniers, quit denying — and we can all get to work and change the world.'

True

Bill Nye is a very sad Science Guy.

Our climate is changing, and the planet is in danger. The science that lends Bill Nye his nickname — the thing he's dedicated his life to — is the only thing that can save us.

Unfortunately, there's a small but incredibly vocal minority who refuse to yield to facts — and whose stubborn resistance has already done massive damage to the planet we call home.

What's a bow-tied educational entertainer to do?

Sad Bill Nye is sad. All GIFs via " National Geographic."

Easy: enlist the aid of Dr. Arnold Schwarzenegger, world-renowned psychologist.

Wait what?!

That's the delightful setup for a recent episode of National Geographic's "Explorer."

If you don't have 45 minutes to watch the whole thing, below are the highlights of how Arnold guides the Science Guy through those famous "five stages of grieving" for our man-made planetary disaster. (But don't worry — there's a happy ending, just like the real fifth stage!)

1. Denial

Ignorance is bliss, so Nye travels to Florida on a quest to learn from the most masterful of those who reject mainstream climate science. How are they able to live such happy lives, blind to the painful, glaring reality of the disastrous future on the near horizon?

Nye speaks with Florida state Rep. Mike Hill, who basically sticks his fingers in his ears and says, "LA LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU" when Nye presents him with evidence of global warming. Also, did you know that government employees in the state of Florida aren't even allowed to say the words "climate change?"

2. Anger

In Alberta, Canada, big oil companies are physically forcing themselves onto protected land and drilling for tar sands — which are both environmentally hazardous and economically impractical.

Nye joins the frontlines of the fight alongside the activists and protesters who are screaming for a change. Because, hey, if someone came in and permanently ruined your home and then turned around and tried to charge you for it, you'd be pretty pissed, right?

Spoiler alert: Yup, they're pissed. But a few small grassroots efforts can't stand up to the combined might of Big Oil all by themselves.

3. Bargaining

There has to be a middle ground, right? A truce or a sacrifice we can make to appease the carbon-producing corporations and also save the planet at the same time ... right?

Not so much. As the Science Guy finds, every time we try to find a compromise, carbon emissions still come out on top. Unless we make a unilateral change across the board and bring an abrupt end to fossil fuels, we're only delaying the inevitable.

4. Depression

When we're depressed, we sometimes feel like we're drowning, waves of misery crashing all around us until the pressure is too much to fight and we just stop swimming.

For the people who are already dealing with the effects of the changing climate, that's not a metaphor.

In this section, the Science Guy visits South Pacific islands and American coastal towns to see how the rising water levels and chaotic patterns are ravaging the homes of real people. The truth is ... not so pretty.

5. Acceptance

After a heartbreaking conversation with ecologist Guy McPherson, the Science Guy becomes the Whiskey Guy. With so many barriers in the way of a solution, he has no choice but to turn to his old friend Jack Daniels for solace.

But wait! If we truly accept these three important facts, things will actually look up:

Climate change is real.
It's happening now, and it's getting exponentially worse.
And there's a still chance to make it better.

And that science that Bill Nye has dedicated his life to? That's what's going to help us.

"There's enough energy in most places — wind, solar, tidal, and geothermal — to run the whole world. What we need is to DO IT. We need to get started," the Science Guy said.

That's great news! Let's start listening to it!

You can make a difference right now! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to sign this petition to stop risky off-shore oil drilling in Australia — and help shield our planet from catastrophic climate change.

After you're done with that, you can watch the full episode of National Geographic's "Explorer" online — it's well worth* your 45 minutes!

*And not just for Arnold's corny puns.