Australia is currently suffering from devastating bushfires that are spread across the country, consuming an estimated 10.7 million hectares (26 million acres; 107,000 square kilometers; 41,000 square miles) and taking 28 people's lives as of 8 January 2020. The animal population of Australia is taking hit after hit as millions of animals were either lost to the fires or will most likely perish due to loss of food and habitat. It is currently estimated that over a billion animals were lost to the ongoing 2019–'20 Australian bushfire season.
There have been many claims online being spread alleging that arsons were to blame for the current tragic situation in Australia. And while NSW police say they have charged 24 people with deliberately putting bushes to flame, most of the information related to "arson emergency" is vastly exaggerated.
Assistant Professor of Climate Science, Dr. Jacquelyn Gill recently served a monumental burn on Twitter
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While it's true that some people have been charged with arson, it is hard to deny that the current bushfire season has not been a consequence of climate change. Ecologist and associate professor Dr. Jacquelyn Gill took to Twitter to explain how climate change affects our environment and how it was a huge factor in the current fires Australia has been experiencing.
She first responded to a tweet about climate change deniers
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Offering an explanation on how wildfires are impacted by climate change
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However, not everyone was buying Gill's story, one of those, a self-proclaimed "US Weather Expert", AccuWeather's senior VP Mike Smith, decided to voice his opinion. The man called Gill's response "nonsense" and urged her to get educated on the matter. What he did not see coming was Dr. Jacquelyn Gill's next reply where she proudly stated that she's actually a professor teaching the very same subject Smith was trying to school her on. Of course, Twitter met such a clash and satisfying finale with thunderous applause (well, many gifs and memes, to be precise).
However, AccuWeather's Senior Vice President Mike Smith called Gill's response "nonsense"
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The man even went as far as advising Gill to educate herself on the subject
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However, she had the perfect response, as any professor would, duh!
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One ecologist backed up the fact that scientists predicted the event over a decade ago
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Here's how people responded to the Twitter exchange
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