A new report by the Fire Brigades Employees Union (FBEU) and Greenpeace

The frequency of catastrophic fire danger could increase more than ten-fold in Melbourne and the number of total fire ban days could triple in Sydney, Adelaide and Canberra by 2050 according to a new report from the Fire Brigades Employees Union (FBEU) and Greenpeace.

The report, Future Risk, examines how different courses of political action will affect bushfire frequency in Australia. It comes just three days before the Copenhagen Accord deadline for countries, including Australia, to announce their emissions reduction targets.

"This report shows that unless governments ramp up their targets for cutting greenhouse emissions, well be facing more frequent bushfire tragedies on an even greater scale. To sit back and let this terrible threat worsen without speaking out would be failing firefighters, and failing the community," said Jim Casey, Secretary of the FBEU.

"The seasons have become longer and the fires more intense even since I began fire fighting," said Casey. "We have the power to reverse this trend or we can shrug our shoulders, do nothing and play Russian roulette with our lives. Fire-fighters are urging Kevin Rudd and politicians of all stripes to do everything in their power to protect the lives of the men and women in our emergency services and that means cutting emissions now."

"If we do nothing to address climate change we are knowingly placing more lives and property at risk," said Greenpeace CEO, Dr Linda Selvey. If even Australia is unwilling to act, what hope is there that other nations will follow suit? Penny Wong's announcement yesterday that the Government has opted for the lowest possible emissions reduction target is a recipe for bushfire disaster.

"This low target undermines prospects for strong global action on climate change and delays the clean, green energy economy that Australia should be leading," Dr Selvey said.

For further information:
http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/news-and-events/news/Climate-change/futurerisk-270110

Download: Future Risk: Battling Australia's Bushfires (PDF) http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/australia/resources/reports/climate-change/future-risk-280110.pdf