The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has welcomed its new role in delivering practical resilience measures to Government in relation to bushfires and climate change.
The new role will see the CSIRO, in collaboration with other agencies and partners, bring plans and recommendations to Australian Governments on how to manage and protect homes, the environment, industries and infrastructure.
Chief Executive of the CSIRO, Larry Marshall said bushfires and drought had always been a challenging part of Australian life.
“However, we are starting to see the impacts of climate change in hotter, drier seasons, which cause more fire danger days,” Dr Marshall said.
“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.”
He said the CSIRO would provide recommendations on how to better prepare for and manage bushfires when they occurred, including new tools driven by science and technology.
“We will draw on our almost 70-year history of bushfire research across multiple fields of science including land management, building and materials design, fire protection and testing, and biodiversity management,” Dr Marshall said.
The CSIRO will be supported in this endeavour by an expert panel, chaired by Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel.
