Episode description

The Australian bushfires keep burning, creating a growing path of devastation and destruction in its wake. One of the many horrific aspects of the crisis is the havoc these bushfires have wreaked on Australia's wildlife. It's estimated that more than one billion animals have been killed.  

Dr. Stuart Blanch, senior manager of Land Clearing and Restoration for WWF-Australia, joins the show this week to talk about how the bushfires have impacted local wildlife, what this means for the endangered koala population, and how climate change is increasingly creating conditions that threaten these habitats from ever being able to recover from the disaster. This is a hard conversation that confronts the reality of the climate crisis, but it is a necessary one. Dr. Blanch is a truly remarkable person.  

To donate to WWF Australia and learn more about the bushfire emergency, visit their website here: https://donate.wwf.org.au/

Follow WWF Australia on Twitter 

Follow Dr. Stuart Blanch on Twitter

As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more!

Further Reading: 

David Roberts, "1.5 degrees Celsius: The sad truth about our boldest climate target"

Reuters, "Australia's leaders unmoved on climate action after devastating bushfires"