Sydney, January 4 (RHC)-- Australia is bracing for what is expected to be the worst weekend yet in an already devastating climate-fueled wildfire season that has ravaged the southeastern part of the country, killed at least 18 people and nearly half a billion animals, and destroyed 14.5 million acres of land.
Temperatures are expected to soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, with high winds expected.  New South Wales transport minister Andrew Constance described the coming conditions as “a blast furnace.”

On Thursday, the state of New South Wales, which includes Sydney, declared a state of emergency, and Victoria declared a state of disaster.  As the catastrophe in Australia deepens, conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison is facing widespread condemnation for his administration’s climate inaction.