How are the Guzzi Riders in Oz?

[Knuckle Dragger]

It is amazing for sure , the short film of the Roo and the fireman was touching . We are getting images of all types of these events here , the poor Koala that was burned being treated by a vet kinda got to me . This is all so sad .

 Dusty

'Twas a Brushtail Possum (if it's the same vid. that I've seen), not a 'Roo.

Reports of an "arson emergency" are arrant nonsense.  I'm not an arson apologist, by any means, & I'm not suggesting that arson isn't a factor.  BUT of the 420,000 fires that NASA satellites have detected in Oz in December, a mere handful are of pyromaniacal origin.

All bullshit aside, it's global warming/climate change that is the REAL culprit here.  A few graphs to support my thesis:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/07/visual-guide-see-how-australias-bushfires-are-raging-across-the-country?utm_term=RWRpdG9yaWFsX0d1YXJkaWFuVG9kYXlBVVMtMjAwMTA4&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=GTAU_email&utm_campaign=GuardianTodayAUS

As previously stated Oz has been hit with a "perfect storm" of a weak El Nino, failed Indian Oceanic surface temperature oscillation, monsoon failure and very hot & extremely low relative humidity supercells.  Soils are super-dry.  Fuel has accumulated to dangerous levels in dry Sclerophyllous (Eucalyptus-dominated) forests with their easily vapourised volatile oils and all their fire-propagative characterstics to almost perfectly ignite & spread firestorms.

Candle-bark on tall Eucalypt trees regularly can spread spotfires (literally by the million) over 30 Km downwind.  Vapourised eucalyptus oil from radiant heat, superheated & mixed with atmospheric oygen will create "spontaneous" atmospheric fireballs.  Hot wildfire will invariably create fire cyclones (I've seen it many times myself in high-intensity forest regeneration burns). 

Wildfires of sufficient intensity will of course vapourise not only the fuel oils of the trees themselves, but also any residual water (the major component of all life on earth) into intense convective updrafts that condense (by the Adiabatic Lapse Rate) into monster Pyrocumulus clouds kilometers high that in turn propagate lightning storms (through the electrical potential differential borne of altitude) to further spread the fire front & spark literally millions of new spotfires.

Nothing new here.  It's a common characteristic of all large-scale, hot wildfires in situations of heavy fuel load globally.  Was first taught this @ Uni in the 70s.  It's what happens when 300 million years + of fire propagative Eucalyptus evolution meets unprecedented weather events.

The true tragedy of the current situation is that we may be witnesses to the beginning of a "new summer norm" not just in OZ, but in all heavily forested boreal landscapes around the globe.  Truly, the pessimistic prognosis is terrifying.  The optimist in me thinks (hopes?) we can learn something from this catastrophe & actually take if not functionally remedial, then at least perhaps some necessarily mitigative steps.

Perhaps, now, at last, we may as a (relatively) civilised society actually take the very real, concrete & terrifyingly devastating consequence of climate inaction seriously.

Sorry chaps.  Rant over.

[Huzo]

We don’t have a climate crisis, we have a population crisis..
If there were very real incentives for couples to not have children, or adoption processes were streamlined such that loving parents/guardians could adopt children in need, rather than the in and out caper, what would happen to the population base in one generation..
It’s a grass roots issue..(if you’ll excuse the pun), and yes, I have heard of China.
No one is going to do what needs to be done without turning around and saying..
“I’ll do it when ****** does.”
As a thought experiment, imagine we were told that the global calamity could be averted overnight, if we sold all our Guzzies and closed the factory in Mandello, who would be pro active enough to do it....FIRST..!
Moreover.
Most of us here know full well that we will be dead before the problem impacts us personally to any significant degree.
There’s just the small matter of our kids, which brings me full circle.
If you had a paddock big enough to adequately hold 100 sheep and you put 300 in there with inadequate food and water, we all know what would happen, they would die off by various means to a sustainable level and a responsible farmer would not overpopulate the space.
That’s what is making itself known at present, it’s just that the rate of change is noticeable now.
The deterioration rate is exponential, so it becomes easier to sense the acceleration.
Imagine if the world’s population was reduced to 1/4 of today’s in two or three generations, the young adult of 2120 would not lament the fact that his grandparents grew up in a family of 3 instead of 5, that would be his/her normality.
We would NEED less energy, less jobs, less food, less vehicles.
We would PRODUCE less pollution, less crime and our infrastructure could cope with demand easier.
I can think of very real incentives that could be offered to couples to choose adoption over natural family building that would be worthy of very real consideration at the point of commencing a family.
We are at risk of exterminating ourselves by virtue of the fact that we are getting better at keeping ourselves alive..!
We are seeing the very real manifestation of the phenomenon whereby the rich will live and the poor will die. Reminds me of 1984..(the movie, not the date).
A couple of conundrums if ever there were..
I could go on....and on....and....

[Bobic69]

Not be be a Debbie Downer but I honestly believe that the human race and the planet are doomed. So I just try to live the best life I can, reduce my footprint without becoming a monk and enjoy what I can i.e. my Guzzi.

[oldbike54]

 Fellas , we have been giving our Aussie friends some leeway here because we understand how dire the circumstances are in OZ at the moment . We stand in solidarity with our Ozzie brothers and sisters , and understand the need to vent . We would however appreciate it if we could carefully avoid making political or social statements . Thanks

 Dusty

[Huzo]

Fellas , we have been giving our Aussie friends some leeway here because we understand how dire the circumstances are in OZ at the moment . We stand in solidarity with our Ozzie brothers and sisters , and understand the need to vent . We would however appreciate it if we could carefully avoid making political or social statements . Thanks

 Dusty

Social as well..?
Ok Dusty, I knew I was doing it but thought it ok if not associating it with government of the day, but can and will refrain.
Thanks.
Huzo.

[oldbike54]

Social as well..?
Ok Dusty, I knew I was doing it but thought it ok if not associating it with government of the day, but can and will refrain.
Thanks.
Huzo.

 No worries mate , we are all in this boat together .

 Dusty

[Huzo]

It’s impossible to comment on a topic like this without transgressing.
Anyway, the thread has drifted dramatically.

[SIR REAL ED]

It’s impossible to comment on a topic like this without transgressing.
Anyway, the thread has drifted dramatically.

agreed.  I'm done misdirecting.