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Knitting while Australia burns

Nature Climate Change volume 10, page 170 (2020)Cite this article

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Although many of Australia’s ecosystems are adapted to historical wildfire, changes in the wildfire regime will transform the landscape and fauna. For example, as fires return more often, up to 10–20% of wet sclerophyll forests, with their iconic tall eucalypts and unique fauna, are projected to become dry scrublands1,2.

One might expect that a global crisis that will forever reshape the ecology of the Australian continent would stimulate a collective commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Instead, the world has responded with a global effort to knit, crochet and sew booties, koala mittens, joey pouches and even nests for rescued wildlife. According to Reuters3, “Knitting needles are clicking furiously around the world to create hundreds of protective pouches and blankets for native wildlife made homeless by Australian wildfires that have razed large swathes of bushland.” For those with a strong desire to help, the opportunity to rescue Australia’s charismatic megafauna — large species with widespread popular appeal such as cuddly koalas — by crafting items for rescued wildlife has motivated many to pitch in.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA

    Henriette I. Jager

  2. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, retired, Oak Ridge, TN, USA

    Charles C. Coutant

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  1. Henriette I. Jager
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  2. Charles C. Coutant
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Correspondence to Henriette I. Jager.

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Jager, H.I., Coutant, C.C. Knitting while Australia burns. Nat. Clim. Chang. 10, 170 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-0710-7

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