As what is expected to be another brutal wildfire season approaches in the drought-hit western United States, officials say federal firefighting crews are staffed and ready for action.

But firefighters themselves, on the frontlines of worsening climate-fueled blazes, tell a different story.

Crews across the country, including in California, are having trouble recruiting and holding onto frontline staff as the dangers facing them grow, and a combination of problems - from decaying facilities and equipment to poor pay - undermine morale.

In one area of fire-threatened northern California, crews are at 65% staffing or less, one engine captain told our reporters David Sherfinski and Avi Asher-Schapiro.

Brian Gold, a federal firefighter in Colorado, said the problems now present "an existential threat to the federal wildland fire program", with improved conditions for firefighters crucial to recruit enough people to effectively tackle ever more frequent and deadly blazes.

To address some of the concerns, U.S. President Joe Biden's administration last week announced a policy shift that aims to make it easier for federal firefighters to claim benefits for injuries and illness caused by their job, after many had turned to crowdfunding sites to raise money for their healthcare.

Biden also has signed a $600-million boost for firefighter pay and efforts to convert seasonal firefighters to permanent, year-round employees - but workers say they are still waiting to see their paychecks jump.

"It's either people get paid more to do this job, or people don't do it at all," warned Nathan Krugman, a wildland firefighter who fought the Caldor blaze that burned more than 220,000 acres last year.

In Australia, where devastating floods have been the bigger problem this year, climate change is nonetheless struggling to get much traction as an issue in the country's elections, set for May.

"Climate was quite a divisive issue at the last election, and both parties are a bit trepidatious about making (it) one of their most prominent issues this election," noted Gavan McFadzean of the Australian Conservation Foundation.

That's a huge frustration for victims like Binnie O'Dwyer, who saw her floodplain home in New South Wales submerged.

"Everyone knows about the link between burning fossil fuels and climate change... yet this government seems to be in some kind of alternate reality," she said.

Looking for a great documentary? Don't miss the first instalment of our new Earth Focus series, looking at how pollution in a low-income Los Angeles community has become one of the biggest determiners of health.

Also don't miss this fascinating look at how an environmental pushback against energy-hungry bitcoin mining is starting to take off in the United States.

See you next week!

Laurie

Energy-hungry bitcoin moves into sights of U.S. environmental movement
Environmental groups and lawmakers are raising the alarm about the climate cost of bitcoin mining, while industry groups and proponents say it can be part of a climate solution

Sri Lanka's economic crisis exposes gaps in renewable energy push
In debt-burdened Sri Lanka, fuel shortages are forcing some people to use firewood, raising fears about the nation’s forests and its plans to switch to renewables

Australia's 'climate wars' truce leaves flood victims in election no-man's land
Despite devastating floods and fires - and more angry voters - climate change is not a major issue in Australia's upcoming May elections

Solar geoengineering predicted to shift malaria risk in tropics
Deploying a controversial global chemical sunshade to cool runaway climate change could help some regions but hurt others

How a little-known energy treaty could thwart global climate action
The Energy Charter Treaty allows companies to sue governments for lost profits and could be used to claim damages where states move to phase out fossil fuels

U.S. firefighters on climate frontlines sound alarm over staffing
From California to North Carolina, U.S. states face an ever-lengthening fire season, but firefighters fear unfilled vacancies will leave them short of hands to combat wildfires

Firefighters hopeful as U.S. government moves to speed up health claims
As climate change boosts U.S. wildfire risks, the Biden administration aims to make it easier for federal firefighters to claim benefits for injuries and illnesses caused by their job

Earth Focus: You Are Where You Live
What makes us sick? Environment and income, say doctors at California’s AltaMed clinic. From anxiety to diabetes, these patients’ stories show that when it comes to health, "the poor pay the price" of their poverty

Humanity on 'spiral of self-destruction' as disasters rise, UN warns
Disasters have cost an average of about $170 billion each year in the last decade but developing nations and their poorest people suffering disproportionately

OPINION: An ecosystem of organized crime threatens the Amazon, and global climate action
For all the talk about how destruction in the Amazon leads to greenhouse gases, there is less discussion about how to rein in the increasingly agile cabal of criminal entrepreneurs

OPINION: A human rights agenda for ending fossil fuels
Earth Day is a wake-up call for how our use of oil, coal and gas is driving a global climate breakdown that violates the right to a clean and healthy environment

OPINION: Rich nations must turn on the climate finance tap for a green, resilient future
Climate-resilient investment equals growth, new jobs, clean air and a competitive advantage - and far more is needed to help the vulnerable obtain these benefits