Soon it will be 'Black Saturday' every two or three years

Bushfires will soon be bigger, more
severe and more intense.

Most people can clearly remember the 2009 Victorian bushfire known as “Black Saturday”.

Soon, however, it will not be a matter of remembering the fires rather it will be the reality of actually dealing with them.

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.

Australia’s 50,000 to 60,000 annual bushfires are likely to increase in size, severity and intensity as climate change continues to worsen.

Promoting another Climate Conversations forum: “Can we prevent bushfires? Issues and challenges”, the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute  (MSSI) and the Australian-German Climate and Energy College say that as with many of our climate change responses, the response to bushfire is still operating in the old world paradigm.

A trio of speakers will speak about preventing bushfires and the issues challenges with that at the University of Melbourne’s School of Design on Tuesday, September 27, at 12.30pm.

The speakers will be:

Associate Professor Janet Stanley - A Principal Research Fellow in Urban Social Resilience at MSSI, a consultant in Sustainable Policy, and Director of the National Centre for Research in Bushfire and Arson.

Her work involves strategic responses to social, environmental and economic challenges in the context of social equality and climate change with particular interests in policy, bushfire, social inclusion and transport.

Associate Professor Alan March – the Director of Bachelor of Environments and Bachelor of Design, School of Design.

Alan’s publications and research include an examination of the practical governance mechanisms of planning and urban design, and the ways that planning systems can successfully manage change and transition as circumstances change, especially in relation to emergencies and establishing resilience.

Dr Paul Read - is shortly to take up a position with MSSI to undertake research on bushfire.

Dr Read is also a senior lecturer in Psychology, teaching Post-Graduate Diploma, Masters, and honours students at Monash Faculty of Medicine, and a Director of the National Centre for Research in Bushfire and Arson.

He undertakes research on the interface between social, economic and environmental sustainability and climate change, as well as the prevention of bushfire arson.

The seminar is free, but those intending to attend should RSVP to Claire Denby at MSSI