---
title: "The Huge Australian Fires Could Change the Entire Earth’s Climate"
description: "While the massive Australian fires were often treated as a local story, they could have massive, far-reaching effects on the global environment and climate."
date: "2020-01-08"
modified: "2020-01-08"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/huge-australian-fires-could-change-entire-climate"
categories:
  - "Climate Change"
  - "Environment"
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "climate change"
  - "environment"
  - "the digest"
  - "wildfires"
---

# The Huge Australian Fires Could Change the Entire Earth’s Climate

![While the massive Australian fires were often treated as a local story, they could have massive, far-reaching effects on the global environment and climate.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/australian-fires-could-threaten-millions-globally.png>)
*\<em\>Image: 80trading24\</em\>*

## Widespread Effects

The wildfires [currently ravaging Australia](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/australian-wildfires-bad-space>) are so massive that they're triggering widespread weather patterns and altering the environment around the world.

While the fires were often treated as a local story relevant only to Australians, their repercussions will likely impact millions of people in other countries and continents, [according to *Inverse*](<https://www.inverse.com/article/62165-australia-fires-change-global-climate-patterns-worse>). As thunderstorm-like plumes of smoke grow into the sky and [clouds of pollutants](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/australia-fires-turning-glaciers-brown>) make their way across the ocean, we all may be dealing with the aftermath for years to come.

## Global News

The fires have turned swaths of Australia into a fiery hellscape. The human and fauna [death tolls](<https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-50962728>) continue to climb.

In spite of that, the fires were treated like a "scary, but not apocalyptic local news story" rather than a catastrophe of global proportions, [according to *New York Magazine*'s *Intelligencer*](<https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/12/new-south-wales-fires-in-australia-the-worlds-response.html>).

## Emission Goals

Aside from terrifying weather events, the Australian fires threaten to worsen global climate change, *Inverse* reports.

Not only are the fires giving off a huge amount of greenhouse gas emissions, but particles in the resulting dust and smoke can further trap heat within the atmosphere, heating the planet even more.

**READ MORE:** [Australia's fires could change global climate patterns for the worse](<https://www.inverse.com/article/62165-australia-fires-change-global-climate-patterns-worse>) \[*Inverse*\]

**More on Australian fires:** *[Australia Arrests Dozens for Starting Bushfires on Purpose](<https://futurism.com/australia-arrests-dozens-starting-bushfires>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)