Protesters have demanded that the conservative government do more to tackle climate change. Fires raging across parts of Australia have produced a toxic smoke that is choking the country's largest city.
Image: Getty Images/J. Evans
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Thousands of people took to the streets of Sydney on Wednesday to pressure the Australian government into climate action.
"Certainly, climate change is a factor, there is no question, but also it is important to note that most of these fires have been caused by 'Little Lucifers,'" Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack told the Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC).
Wildlife populations have been decimated by the firesImage: picture-alliance/dpa/AP/R. Rycroft
'This is climate change'
However, some conservative lawmakers from within the ruling Liberal-National Coalition have broken ranks with the government's position.
"We are in the middle of the worst drought in living memory, this is the second-hottest year on record," New South Wales Environment Minister Matt Kean, with the Liberal Party, told ABC Radio. "Yesterday smoke was causing some of the worst air pollution in Sydney that we've ever seen — this is climate change."
Hospitals in the area have reported a 25% increase in the number of people visiting emergency rooms. At least six people have been killed and more than 700 houses destroyed during this year's fire season.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison last month threatened to outlaw climate protests, accusing them of increasingly disrupting Australia's lucrative mining industry.
Australia is one of the largest producers of coal, considered a significant contributor to climate-changing carbon emissions. Morrison has long supported the industry despite its environmental impact.
In pictures: Australia 'mega fire' blankets Sydney with smoke
Australia 'mega fire' blankets Sydney with smoke
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. De Marchi
More than just a bushfire
Several bushfires have combined to form what is being called a 'mega fire' in a national park forest north of Australia's biggest city, Sydney. Firefighters warned late Friday that they are struggling to contain the blaze, which continues to burn across at least 300,000 hectares (741,000 acres) of land and has spewed smoke and haze over the city.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Tsikas
Sydney can't breathe
Outdoor sports have been canceled and health authorities in the state of New South Wales (NSW) reported a spike in respiratory illness as smoke from the fires blanketed Sydney. Public health experts are warning people in fire-affected areas to prepare for a prolonged period of poor air quality.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Braven
Bushfire could burn 'for weeks'
The NSW Rural Fire Service said firefighters can do little more than try to get residents out of the way, protect property and wait for dry and windy conditions to subside before they can begin containing the fires. An official warned that, without "flooding rain," the mega fire could burn for weeks. A 3-month-long drought has turned eastern Australia into a tinderbox.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Himbrechts
Struggling to protect property
Fires have threatened properties, including in Werombi, south-west of Sydney. The Rural Fire Service said Friday that more than 680 homes have been destroyed and 250 others have been damaged by bushfires in the state since early October.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Tsikas
An endless battle
On Saturday, an estimated 2,800 firefighters were struggling to extinguish more than 100 wildfires across NSW. The closest wildfire to Sydney is burning 75 kilometers (46 miles) northwest of the city center.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Rycroft
A tough summer ahead
Smoke from the fires can be seen from space. Wildfires are common in Australia's summer, which begins in December. This year, however, the fires started in October, driven by persistent high temperatures and dry winds. In the coming days, temperatures in NSW are forecast to crack 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), and meteorologists say no meaningful rainfall is expected until late January.
