Extreme heat is gripping Australia, with temperatures in several states set to climb above 40°C. Catastrophic fire danger ratings are in place across Victoria, which remains under a total fire ban. Officials say current conditions have created some of the most dangerous bushfires in six years since the “Black Summer” blazes of 2019 to 2020. Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, a climate science professor at the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University, tells CNA’s