A scorching summer has left Australian wildlife on the brink, but it doesn’t have to be this way

Over 170,000 hectares of Western Australian national park have been burned to the ground, including key breeding areas for Carnaby’s cockatoo. Illustration: Jess Harwood

Soaring, scorching, record temperatures, yet again. Distressing, protracted droughts. Raging fires and devastating floods. Australia’s summer is drawing to a close, and a reprieve from climate whiplash can’t come soon enough.

We’ve witnessed and suffered immense losses and deep heartache for wildlife, ecosystems, and our communities. There was a time when the dire potential consequences of climate breakdown and environmental destruction were warnings, calls from scientists and experts for increased and urgent action. Now an unsettling possibility feels like a disturbing reality.