Thousands are rallying outside Sydney Town Hall, demanding climate action from the government, as bushfire smoke chokes the city and causes a spike in health problems - watch the live stream here:
As well as a rise in people visiting hospitals with smoke-related health symptoms, the number of emergency calls for ambulances spiked 30 per cent last week.
"For most people, smoke causes mild symptoms like sore eyes, nose and throat," top health department official Richard Broome said in a statement."However, people with conditions like asthma, emphysema and angina are at greater risk because the smoke can trigger their symptoms.
NSW Fire and Rescue officers battle a bushfire near Termeil on the Princes Highway between Batemans Bay and Ulladulla."But we currently lack the operational tools to understand the extent of these impacts or to manage them."Three million hectares of land has been burnt - the size of some small countries - and vast swathes of koala habitat scorched.
Official data shows 2019 is on track to be one of the hottest and driest years on record in Australia.
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