New commissioners added to lead royal commission into deadly bushfires

The Governor-General has signed off on a royal commission into this summer's devastating bushfires, with a specific focus on preparedness for future bushfire seasons.

Hazard reduction planning will be a significant focus of the royal commission.

Two more commissioners, former Federal Court judge Annabelle Bennett and leading environmental lawyer Andrew Macintosh, will join former Australian Defence Force (ADF) chief Mark Binskin.

The trio are due to deliver their findings to the Federal Government by the end of August.

More than 30 people died across the country during the disaster, and thousands of homes were destroyed.

The ABC revealed earlier this month that hazard reduction would form a key part of the inquiry, after Prime Minister Scott Morrison demanded an investigation into whether controlled burns and land clearing operations had been hampered across the country.

Climate change, and specifically its effect of creating longer, hotter and drier fire seasons, will also be considered by the royal commission.

Read the ABC News story by Matthew Doran - “New commissioners added to lead royal commission into deadly bushfires.”

Cities are on the front-line of climate change. They must adapt or die

Cities are the anchors of human civilization. By 2050, roughly three quarters of humanity will live in one. While offering extraordinary opportunities for prosperity, creativity and wellbeing, cities of tomorrow will also confront monumental challenges associated with poverty, inequality and fragility. Decisions made by urban leaders in the next decade will determine the livability – even the survival – of cities across the planet.

One factor uniting cities is that all of them will suffer the effects of climate change. Most will experience rising levels of flood exposure, water shortages, storms and heat stress. The severity of risk will be mediated by their location – whether on the littoral or inland – but also the extent of their preparedness. Governments, businesses and civil society groups have an opportunity now to design-in resilience to our cities, but no city is immune to the coming storm.

In fact, most cities are already on the front-line of climate change. At least 70% of them are currently dealing with sudden onset disasters and long-term environmental stress. They are confronting a host of related challenges ranging from health pandemics to population displacement. The massive concentration of people in cities over the coming decades – especially in Africa and Asia – will almost certainly exacerbate traffic congestion, worsen air quality and increase amounts of waste.

Read the World Economic Forum story - “Cities are on the front-line of climate change.They must adapt or die.”