Witness (2021) Capturing Change: Australia's Black Summer Warning
Matthew Abbott’s photos of Australia’s catastrophic bushfires serve as a warning to the world. Published on Sunday 31 October 2021. “What does climate change look like?” asks Australian photojournalist Matthew Abbott. His apocalyptic image of a kangaroo fleeing bushfires captured the world’s attention. After Australia’s hottest and driest year on record, the 2019-20 bushfire season was unlike anything the modern world had seen. An unprecedented 18.6 million hectares (46 million acres) scorched, three billion animals killed or displaced and thousands of homes lost. As his images go viral, Matthew returns to the deadly flames battling toxic smoke and fatigue to photograph exhausted firefighters, overcrowded animal sanctuaries and traumatised victims. Matthew does not want to just record events, he hopes to inspire change.
An inspiring documentary series that brings world issues into focus through compelling human stories.
Primary Title
- Witness
Episode Title
- Capturing Change: Australia's Black Summer Warning
Date Broadcast
- Thursday 4 November 2021
Original Broadcast Date
- Tuesday 2 November 2021
Release Year
- 2021
Start Time
- 10 : 30
Finish Time
- 11 : 00
Duration
- 30:00
Channel
- Al Jazeera English
Broadcaster
- Al Jazeera Media Network
Programme Description
- An inspiring documentary series that brings world issues into focus through compelling human stories.
Episode Description
- Matthew Abbott’s photos of Australia’s catastrophic bushfires serve as a warning to the world. Published on Sunday 31 October 2021. “What does climate change look like?” asks Australian photojournalist Matthew Abbott. His apocalyptic image of a kangaroo fleeing bushfires captured the world’s attention. After Australia’s hottest and driest year on record, the 2019-20 bushfire season was unlike anything the modern world had seen. An unprecedented 18.6 million hectares (46 million acres) scorched, three billion animals killed or displaced and thousands of homes lost. As his images go viral, Matthew returns to the deadly flames battling toxic smoke and fatigue to photograph exhausted firefighters, overcrowded animal sanctuaries and traumatised victims. Matthew does not want to just record events, he hopes to inspire change.
Classification
- G
Owning Collection
- Chapman Archive
Broadcast Platform
- Television
Languages
- English
Captions
Live Broadcast
- No
Rights Statement
- Made for the University of Auckland's educational use as permitted by the Screenrights Licensing Agreement.
Genres
- Documentary
Contributors
- Chris Phillips (Producer)
- Screen Australia (Production Associate)
- Judith Neilson Institute (Production Associate)
- Melt Studio (Production Unit)