Bushfires will be longer and harder to fight, and Australia needs to be better prepared.
They're the findings from a Climate Council report, which predicts increasing hot weather in Northern and Southern hemispheres will put pressure on resources, as bushfire seasons overlap.
Brianna Roberts has more.
The Climate Council's Professor Lesley Hughes says the world is experiencing record-breaking temperatures.
"This last October, was the hottest October globally, and in Australia. Here in Victoria for example, in the first week of October, in some parts of the state, temperatures were twelve degrees above average. So globally, 2015 is almost certainly going to be the hottest year on record.
And it's not just temperatures the Climate Council is worried about, says Chief Executive Amanda McKenzie.
"It's also drying across the southern Australia, we've experienced a long term drying trend. When you put hot, dry conditions together, you get exacerbated bushfire conditions."
In its latest report titled "The Burning Issue: Climate Change and The Australian Bushfire Threat" Professor Hughes says Australia is in for prolonged, and more severe, bushfire seasons.
"Above normal throughout much of eastern Australia, from Rockhampton right down to the south east. And also for about a third of Western Australia.
Globally, fire seasons have lengthened since the late 70s by about 19 per cent, which translates to earlier firefighting seasons by about 2 months."
And if the northern and southern hemisphere seasons overlap, that will put enormous stress on shared firefighting resources.
Steve Watts was part of the Australian contingent sent to North America during the continent's summer wildfires.
"The reason we were there is because their resources were being depleted quite rapidly, due to the number and the severity of the fires, so we were brought in, and not only us, but other countries also sent resources in there. Their concern is about available resources and also how they replenish those resources and how they manage fatigue."
The Climate Council says, the only way to counter the pressure on firefighters and their increased fatigue, is to double Australia's firefighters, by 2030.
That backs a union-commissioned report recommendation, which considered population and asset growth.
Steve Watts says time management is an increasing concern.
"We are getting more rapid onset fire events, longer fire seasons and the reality is that it makes you more tired I guess, in a lot of ways."
Professor Lesley Hughes believes bushfire preparation could be impacted too.
"Australia is a very fire prone country and has been for a long time, and the science is very clear about that. But the science is also very clear that climate change is exacerbating the conditions for bushfire risk."
The Council says the world has already achieved point 85 degree global warming.
It says, unless nations reach a binding agreement during climate change talks in Paris, the world will be on track for temperature growth of more than two degrees in the coming decades - and more catastrophic fires.
Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie says we must modify the way we use produce and consume energy.
"We need to make sure that we are reducing our emissions. So we're tackling the root cause, which is climate change. And what's driving it, which is fossil fuel emissions from oil, coal and gas. That means rapidly transitioning our economy from a fossil fuel dependent economy to a renewable energy economy, so using resources like solar and wind."
