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How Australia’s Wildfires Are Affecting Business
A major part of operating a business is having contingency plans in place so that it can remain operational in the event of emergencies. Some factors that could affect this plan are within the realm of human control, both internal and external, while others are out of our control and cannot be foreseen. This happens to be the case with the wildfires taking place in Australia.
It is extremely difficult to plan for wildfires like you would for expected extreme weather conditions. Typically, there are preparations made in advance for events such as blizzards in northern regions of the world or how hurricanes, typhoons, and monsoons affect tropical regions. These types of weather conditions are foreseen, therefore the proper precautions are taken in order to ensure the business is not impacted and fully operational. In Australia’s case, the sheer destruction of the fires so far is expected to cost over 4.4 billion in damage, according to an article written by Ben Butler (Guardian 2020). This cost will negatively impact all parts of Australia’s economy and will be felt for many years to come.
In Australia’s case the industries that will be most affected by this are their tourism and agriculture. This has a domino effect on their transportation industry as well because produce is destroyed, resulting in less agricultural freight to be moved. Every industry is connected to transportation and the damage will have long-lasting effects.
Wildfires are also an international issue and how the Australian government responds is crucial. An example of this is the Brazilian government’s slow response to the fires in the Amazon, the public outcry from natives, and the frustration from the international community. How the Australian leadership responds to the issue will affect the nation's environmental policies and their economic stability. A quick response will be necessary to utilize a global organization’s aid to benefit its citizens and the businesses that operate in Australia.
Natural disasters can be unavoidable but having plans in place will allow Australia to recover from long-term consequences quickly and effectively. Utilizing action plans in the events of natural disaster are crucial to a speedy recovery. By having resources made available to the people of Australia, they will be able to return to their normal way of life. Aside from the physical damage caused by the wildfire, there are environmental hazards that will affect the quality of life in Australia. By responding quickly the Australian government will help to mitigate the consequences of the wildfire.
According to the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, “Wildfires can compromise water quality both during active burning and for months and years after the fire has been contained,” (Mendenhall,2018). The smoke from the fires will also affect the quality of air which will negatively impact the quality of life for Australians, which will affect their ability to be productive and in turn affect business flow. Working to resolve the fires is in the best interest of health and economic standpoints.
Contributor: Alexander Miel
References:
The Guardian. (2020, January 7) Economic impact of Australia's bushfires set to exceed $4.4bn cost of Black Saturday . Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/08/economic-impact-of-australias-bushfires-set-to-exceed-44bn-cost-of-black-saturday
Mendenhall, J (2018, July 30). Wildfire’s Impact on Our Environment Retrieved from https://deq.utah.gov/communication/news/featured/wildfires-impact-on-our-environment
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