Three and a half years ago I had a New Year’s Eve that I will never forget. Not because of a spectacular house party or dazzling fireworks display, but because I got stranded in a tiny Australian beach town when the only road out became cut off by a rapidly approaching bushfire. Lunch was coated in a fine layer of ash, the sky was black at 3pm but thanks to a bit of luck, and the bravery of the New South Wales fire fighting corps, we escaped unscathed the next day.

I bring this up for two reasons. First, because the record-setting Australian bushfire season of 2019-20 was facilitated by a clear long-term trend of increased hot and dry weather in the region brought about by global warming. And second because if you were to describe the ideal human habitat, it would not feature bushfires.

Read more: ft.com

Photo: ft.com