A picture showing a Koala and a firefighter watching their forest burn together is going viral on Twitter. This image was taken by the Eden Hills Country Fire Service in South Australia and is drawing attention towards the bushfires that are raging outside every major city in Australia.
OMFG. This photo.
— Alex Steffen (@AlexSteffen) December 23, 2019
A local firefighter and a koala watch their forest burn in a climate disaster. pic.twitter.com/8mH6sMQbww
Because of global warming and the climate crisis, Australia’s forests are catching fire easily, Lesley Hughes, with the environmental group Climate Council of Australia told TIME.
When you have very hot, dry, windy conditions, if all of those things come together, a fire can get quickly out of control. As the climate is warming up, we’re getting more and more extreme hot days and currently, of course, Australia is in the grip of probably unprecedented heatwave conditions almost right across the continent.
-Lesley Hughes
The image has left Twitter users heartbroken about the concerning situation of the country and its wildlife.
These Koala stories are gutting me. I feel so frozen with anger & grief for the wildlife and the people of Australia right now. It’s so brutal & I don’t know what to do.
— mosettastone (@mosettastone) December 23, 2019
Am heartbroken at this sight. As humans, it’s our moral duty to heal the planet only we effed up.
— Pervin Sanghvi (@pervinsanghvi) December 23, 2019
Brazen activities of humans have brought the environmental situation to this level. Nature has its own way of “hitting back”.
— Chowkidar Narayanಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಿ (@NarayanShastri) December 23, 2019
Forgive me if I’m not in the Christmas spirit this year
— Dominik🌿🌏 (@DominikBarbato) December 23, 2019
I am beside myself with rage and sadness during these fires. Rage at those who could act and don’t, like our criminal federal govt, sadness for the unfathomable losses.
— Melissa Benyon (@BenyonMelissa) December 23, 2019
With over 10,000 people’s homes and lives in danger, and firefighters lives at risk on the frontline, it is time to take notice of the gravity of the situation.
