Can we prevent bushfires? Issues and challenges

One of last night's
speakers,
Dr Paul Read.

The worsening and severity of Victorian bushfires because of climate change was articulated and emphasized yesterday at the University of Melbourne.

A trio of speakers with particular knowledge on different aspects of the “how and why” of bushfires were brought together by the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute (MSSI).

About 100 people gathered in the School of Design’s “Singapore Room” when it became obvious that a booked lecture space on the building’s fourth floor would have been inadequate.

Director of the MSSI, Professor Brendan Gleeson, introduced a principal research fellow in Urban Social Resilience at MSSI, Associate Professor Janet Stanley; the associate Dean and Director of Bachelor of Environments and Bachelor of Design and the School of Design, and Director of the National Centre for Research in Bushfire and Arson, Associate Professor Alan March; and Dr Paul Read who among a host of other things, is also a part of the National Centre for Research in Bushfire and Arson.

A/Professor Alan March
answers a question.

Beyond that Dr Read is researching the interface between social, economic and environmental sustainability and climate change.

Promotional material for the event said:

There is a trend for Australia’s 50,000 to 60,000 annual bushfires to increase in size, severity and intensity.

The Climate Institute believes that with the current progress of climate change, Victoria could, on average, have a ‘Black Saturday’ level event every two or three years.

A/Professor Janet Stanley.

Yet, as with many of our climate change responses, the response to bushfire is still operating in the old world paradigm. This is in terms of the scale of response, the ability to move from silos to an integrated response, the inclusiveness of the response, and the failure to utilize many possible preventative measures.

This seminar suggests a new model of bushfire prevention as well as a discussion about how we can minimize the impact of those fires that occur.

Check out the slides presented at yesterday Climate Conversations presented by the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute (MSSI) at the University of Melbourne’s School of Design - “Can we prevent bushfires? Issues and challenges.”

Also, listen to the audio.