The fires facing Spanish and French firefighters are harder to put out – and much more intense.
- Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science, University of Tasmania
After almost 60 years, scientists have been able to prove an influential theory that wet eucalypt forest regrowth is more fire prone.
We’re not going to be able to stop climate instability and associated dangerous wildfire weather, so we need to adapt.
In Tasmania’s remote southwest, dry lightning storms are starting huge conflagrations across treeless plains. Could a return to cultural burning help?
Fires and cities do not mix. Authorities have spent decades reducing the risk. But climate change will make some urban fires more likely.
What can we learn from the bushfires in Tasmania? Beware of climate change, especially the unpredictable nature of blazes sparked by dry lightning.
We knew this would happen eventually. We have moved from possible futures to these things now happening. The deferment has ended.
Earth’s climate has become dangerously unstable, and it’s only a matter of time before somewhere in Australia erupts in uncontrollable fire.
An analysis of 88 million wildfire observations over the past 21 years shows a strong increase in the frequency and intensity of the most extreme fires around the world.
Many Australians probably thought the worst of the bushfire season was over. But climate change is bringing not just more frequent and severe fires, but longer fire seasons.
Normally, many bushfires ease overnight, as temperatures fall and moisture in the air rises. But these are not normal times, as Queensland’s early-season fires are showing
We used satellite data to create global maps of where and how fires are burning. Fire season lasts two weeks longer than it used to and fires are more intense. But there are regional differences.
As I hear reports of the fire tearing through Maui, I feel utterly depressed. As a fire scientist, I know the unfolding horror is just the beginning in our warmer world.
Savanna grasslands are burnt early in the dry season to reduce the chance of large fires later. But it’s making air pollution worse.
Indigenous fire management reduces the risk of bushfires, supports habitat and improves Indigenous wellbeing. Yet, the State of the Environment report this week found it’s underused.
Tasmania’s drying climate is seeing more bushfires ignited by lightning strikes. To protect the state’s World Heritage wilderness, we must use sustainable fire management practices.
Our research is deeply concerning because it signals there are no quick fixes to the ongoing fire crisis afflicting Australia, which is being driven by relentless climate change.
What if we had a system, like Medicare, where costly fire prevention measures were subsidised?
Australia is still grappling with the devastation wrought by the bushfires earlier this year. The Royal Commission’s final report marks the first step in the country’s disaster adaptation journey.
California’s bushfire disaster is eerily reminiscent of Australia’s Black Summer. We share the same fiery fate, and must learn to adapt.
The bushfire royal commission will look at incorporating Aboriginal knowledge into mainstream fire management. But in practice, what does that mean?
There is a real risk a national inquiry could get bogged down in politics, or not lead to real change. But we need more federal action on bushfires. Our old approaches are broken.
In a matter of weeks, the fires have subverted decades of dedicated conservation efforts for many threatened species.
Local, self organised, community groups can be supported to do strategic hazard reduction through a range of techniques – including targeted grazing, and prescribed or fuel reduction burning.
One lesson from Australia’s past bushfire disasters is that too many homes are underinsured. But it’s a lesson we’ve failed to learn.
Contact David for
- General
- Media request
- Speaking request
- Consulting / Advising
- Research collaboration
- Research supervision
- Location: Hobart, Tasmania
- Article Feed
- ORCID
- Joined
