CSIRO to steer nation on climate change strategies

National science agency CSIRO will deliver bushfire and climate change resilience measures to help prepare Australia for future years of extreme fire conditions.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that, in collaboration with other agencies and partners, CSIRO will bring plans and recommendations to Australian governments on how to manage and protect homes, the environment, industries and infrastructure.

CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall said, “Bushfires and drought have always been a challenging, natural part of Australian life, but we are starting to see the impacts of climate change in hotter, drier seasons, which cause more fire danger days.

“This is the time to act, before the effects become larger,” he said.

“Despite our mitigation strategy, climate change will be with us for decades to come, so adaptation is the key immediate action to preserve lives, our economy, and protect our environment.

“CSIRO will provide recommendations on how we can better prepare for and manage bushfires when they occur, including new tools driven by science and technology,” Dr Marshall explained.

The CSIRO’s work will draw on nearly 70 years of bushfire research across multiple fields of science, including land management, building and materials design, fire protection and testing, and biodiversity management.

Dr Marshall iterated that every branch of science and technology would be brought into the challenge via the CSIRO’s partnerships with each Australian university and every government department and agency.

“We will bring solutions from science for an Australia that will face, head on, a different climate than before, in the same way we have solved some of Australia's greatest challenges for over 100 years,” he said.

The CSIRO will be supported by an expert panel, chaired by Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel.

Read more about CSIRO’s climate and bushfire research.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Daria Ni