Submitted by Kenneth Schnabele on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Sydney, Australia sponsored by the Department of Business Administration…
I arrived last Thursday in Sydney, Australia. I was a bit nervous my program was going to be cancelled because of all of the bush fires that have been ravaging through this country, but when I arrived my nervousness went away since the city is absolutely beautiful and the people are very friendly and laid back. Even though the city was beautiful, the country itself has been going through a rough patch the past couple of months. There have been various protests and demonstrations that have broken out in major cities, especially Sydney where I am doing my internship and class. The protests started mainly due to the insane intensity of the bush fires this year. These protests have the sole purpose of bringing climate change back in the spotlight as well as criticize the prime minister Scott Morrison for not doing more to combat the fires and climate change. The protest I saw was mainly for the fires and to save the animals that have now reached an estimated 1 billion dead. There is a growing fear that many animal species native to Australia will join the endangered list or even become extinct. The protest and demonstrations I have witnessed have been purely peaceful and have gained widespread attention. There were hundreds maybe even thousands of people together raising awareness of climate change and the massive effects of these bush fires.
Some of the local friends I have met on this program have been very critical of their prime minister. Apparently, during the bush fires, Prime Minister Morrison was on vacation in Hawaii which really made most of the locals here unhappy with his leadership. Many locals are very grateful to the United States and other foreign countries for sending aid such as fire fighters, donations and even just raising awareness of how serious these fires are.