If you have been paying attention to the news in the past few weeks, you have most likely heard about the devastating bush fires ravaging Australia.

One widespread concern is the amount of attention that these fires have been receiving worldwide. Many have pointed out the outrage that occurred when Notre Dame burned and complain that these Australian fires have not received the same outcry.

From what I have seen, however, the fires in Australia have garnered not only a substantial amount of media attention, but also attention from celebrities from around the world. Celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres, Leonardo DiCaprio and Selena Gomez have all expressed their sympathies for the Australian people and have shown their support by donating money to various disaster relief organizations.

Media has also been instrumental in bringing attention to the Australian fires. Major news outlets have been quite diligent in reporting on this tragedy and have offered various ways that people can help the situation.

I think that the problem lies in the way these fires are being talked about in the media.

These fires are not simply a natural disaster but are rather the consequences of climate change. Australia has experienced some of the hottest days in history in the past few months, which has been a major reason that these fires have been so extreme.

It is true that it is common for bushfires to occur in Australia, but it would be naïve to ignore the fact that the extreme high temperatures and droughts in Australia have contributed to these fires.

Although there is a substantial amount of people that share this viewpoint, there are still people that deny that climate change is real and are simply blaming these fires on natural causes.

So, although I think that the Australian fires have received a substantial amount of attention in the media, I believe that the only way to bring about real change for our environment is by recognizing that climate change is a real issue that needs to be dealt with.

Climate change should not be a partisan issue; there is scientific evidence that climate change exists and is affecting our planet more and more each year.

If we want to prevent disasters like this from happening in the future, we need to begin making changes as a society to reverse the effects of climate change.