The Conversation

There's logic in burying carcasses as they can harbour nasty diseases, but they also help landscapes recover from fire. Emma Spencer, Ph.D. student, University of Sydney Chris Dickman, Professor in Terrestrial Ecology, University of Sydney Philip Barton, Honorary Senior Lecturer, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University Thomas Newsome, Lecturer, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

F1 has promised a move to 'credible offsets and breakthrough C02 sequestration programs'. But there's a persistent lack of clear detail in the how, what and where. Michelle O'Shea, Senior Lecturer Sport Management, Western Sydney University Neil Perry, Research Lecturer, Western Sydney University Sarah Duffy, Lecturer, School of Business, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Bushfire smoke accumulating over Australian cities contains a complex chemical mix which does all sorts of things to the human body. Gabriel da Silva, Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Wombats don't herd animals to shelter in their fire-proof burrows, they just tolerate uninvited house guests. Dale Nimmo, Associate professor/ARC DECRA fellow, Charles Sturt University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Having fewer children is one of the most effective ways an individual can mitigate climate change. Melissa Pappas, PhD Candidate, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The latest bushfires cannot be compared to Ash Wednesday or Black Saturday. Our nation's fire history is being rewritten. Joelle Gergis, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, Australian National University Geoff Cary, Associate Professor, Bushfire Science, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Fire debris flowing into Murray-Darling Basin will exacerbate the risk of fish and other aquatic life dying en masse in a repeat of the shocking fish kills of last summer. Paul McInerney, Research scientist, CSIRO gavin.rees@csiro.au, CSIRO Klaus Joehnk, Senior research scientist, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

This is not the first time Australia's major cities have been shrouded in bushfire smoke. But this time, the culprits must held to account. Nancy Cushing, Associate professor, University of Newcastle Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Employers obligations are set out clearly. What's important is what they "know or reasonably ought to know". Elizabeth Shi, Lecturer, Graduate School of Business and Law, RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

As Australia picks up the pieces after the fires, we must understand the unique grief Aboriginal people experience from a loss of country. Bhiamie Williamson, Research Associate & PhD Candidate, Australian National University Jessica Weir, Senior Research Fellow, Western Sydney University Vanessa Cavanagh, Associate Lecturer, School of Geography and Sustainable Communities, University of Wollongong Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The horror of the last weeks and months are a compressed version of the last 30 years in bushfire and climate politics. Marc Hudson, Researcher on sociomaterial transformations, social movements, Keele University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The Bureau of Meterology says persistent drought and record temperatures were a major driver of Australia's fire activity, and the context for 2019 lies in the past three years of drought. David Jones, Climate Scientist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Karl Braganza, Climate Scientist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Skie Tobin, Climatologist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Plugging ventilation holes in walls helps, but there are dangers. Geoff Hanmer, Adjunct Lecturer in Architecture, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

In a matter of weeks, the fires have subverted decades of dedicated conservation efforts for many threatened species. John Woinarski, Professor (conservation biology), Charles Darwin University Brendan Wintle, Professor Conservation Ecology, University of Melbourne Chris Dickman, Professor in Terrestrial Ecology, University of Sydney David Bowman, Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science, University of Tasmania David Keith, Professor of Botany, UNSW Sarah Legge, Professor, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Wildlife can smell and hear a fire coming, and have developed novel ways to evade it. But they must watch out for cunning predators rushing in for a feed. Dale Nimmo, Associate professor/ARC DECRA fellow, Charles Sturt University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia has an outsized ability to influence others. Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We pulled four before-and-after NASA satellite images and asked bushfire researcher Grant Williamson to reflect on the story they tell. Sunanda Creagh, Head of Digital Storytelling Molly Glassey, Digital Editor, The Conversation Wes Mountain, Multimedia Editor Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

There is little to fear and lots to love about spiders, which have not killed anyone in Australia for 40 years. Leanda Denise Mason, Associate Lecturer, Curtin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

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. Jason Alexandra, PhD candidate, RMIT University David Bowman, Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

As this horrific summer of disaster continues to unfold in coming weeks, we need to overhaul our emergency management plan. Dale Dominey-Howes, Professor of Hazards and Disaster Risk Sciences, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.