Climate Change 'Set the Stage' for Australian Fires, Experts Say as Leaders Deny 'Widening Crisis'

Bushfires destroy properties in the township of Hillville.Photo: Nick Moir/The Sydney Morning Herald/Getty Raging bushfires in Australia have caused “ecological Armageddon” — yet government leaders continue to dismiss climate change as playing any role in the unprecedented blazes ravaging the country. Top scientists are urging the world’s most industrialized nations to take immediate action to slash carbon emissions heating up the planet, resulting in the searing heatwaves, massive drought, and dry vegetation experts say are fueling the fires.

Climate Change Could Lead to Increase in 'Pizzly' Bears, a Polar Bear and Grizzly Bear Hybrid

Photo: Getty Images(2) According toLive Science, more polar bears are migrating further south — where they encounter grizzly bears — because rising temperatures have thinned the Arctic sea ice, pushing polar bears into unfamiliar territory. Anew study, published in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesfound that climate change’s effect on the bear species' habitats has also affected the animals' mating behaviors. The findings “may have implications for our understanding of climate change impacts,” the study stated.

Climate Change Protesters Close Down Main Square in Paris, Climb onto Oil Tanker in London

Photo: JULIEN DE ROSA/getty Mass climate change protests sprouted up in the United Kingdom and France on Saturday as citizens urged their legislators to take action before it’s too late. “Their inaction leads to our rebellion,” was the calling cry for hundreds of people who gathered in Paris' 9th district, including some who lay on the floor during a so-called “die-in” demonstration, per the outlet. “We are blocking this Paris square to rebel against alternatives that we don’t have,” Lou, a 26-year-old history teacher, told Reuters.

Climber 'Exceptionally Lucky to Be Alive' After 2,000-Foot Fall from New Zealand Mountain

Mount Taranaki in New Zealand.Photo:Andia/Universal Images Group via Getty Andia/Universal Images Group via Getty A climber in New Zealand is “exceptionally lucky to be alive” after falling close to 2,000 feet down a mountain. On Saturday, the man was discovered approximately 1,968 feet from where he had previously been climbing on Mount Taranaki in New Zealand’s North Island, perNew Zealand Police. The pair found the climber with “minor injuries,” and he was then assisted down the mountain after losing an ice axe and crampons during the fall.

Climber Colin Duffy, 17, on How School Going Virtual Has Helped Him Find Training Time for Olympics

Colin Duffy.Photo: Bree Robles Homework, prom and … gold medals. Colin Duffy, 17, is opening up about how he’s managed to juggle being a high school student with his climbing career, especially in the run-up to the Tokyo Olympics this summer. “It’s not super easy to balance everything,” Duffy, of Broomfield, Colorado, tells PEOPLE during the Team USA Tokyo Olympics Media Summit, “but I just have adjusted to a pretty busy schedule, I manage my time well through training and climbing and getting assignments done.