Media release

From: Australian Science Media Centre

BRIEFING: November bushfires - are they exceptional, could they have been prevented and is climate change to blame?

Bushfires are raging across the country, with particularly fierce fires in QLD and NSW.

Reports that more than 850,000 hectares of land in New South Wales have been razed since the start of this year's bushfire season suggest these fires may be unprecedented, and out-of-control fires continue to burn in QLD and SA.

As the country burns, some politicians have pointed the finger at 'greenies', claiming environmental regulations may have exacerbated the fires.

So is this fire season unprecedented, could any of these fires have been prevented using fire-management practices, or through environmental regulation, or is climate change to blame?

Join us for this online media briefing, when leading Australian experts will address these issues.

Speakers:

• Professor David Bowman is Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science, and Director of the Fire Centre Research Hub at The University of Tasmania
• Professor Ross Bradstock is Director of the Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires at the University of Wollongong
• Dr Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick is a Future Fellow at the Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW

A full recording of the briefing is available here