Australia’s summer of 2019/20 was one of the most catastrophic bushfire seasons ever recorded. Dubbed ‘Black Summer’, the fires killed 33 people, burned more than 24 million hectares of land, and saw three billion animals killed, injured, or displaced. Few will forget the smoke-shrouded season, the ramifications of which are still being felt today and will continue to have long-reaching effects on Australia.
Edited by Peter Christoff, a political scientist and senior research fellow with the Melbourne Climate Futures Initiative, the collected essays within The Fires Next Time dissect the environmental, social, political, and economic implications of Australia’s Black Summer. Comprehensive and insightful, the contributors are experts in their fields, and explore what happened, the devastating impacts, and how we can better prepare for next time.
An early chapter from historian Tom Griffiths provides a great overview of Australia’s relationship with fire throughout history. Emphasising the need to consult and return the lead of fire management practices to Indigenous Australians, Griffiths reiterates that in order to look forward we must look back. Living with fire is inevitable, so we must learn to manage it rather than be at war with it.
This discussion is continued through the lens of the climate crisis, resulting in a critical call for political change regarding bushfire policy and action. Professor and political scientist Robyn Eckersley provides a delightfully scathing review of the federal government’s ambivalence towards acknowledging climate change as a driving influence in the disaster. She breaks down the Morrison government’s ignorance towards taking proactive preventative measures for fire mitigation, and that ill-fated trip to Hawaii.
The science, history, and climate statistics all conclusively agree that more devastating fires are inevitable. It will take large systematic and individual change to negate the impact of future climate disasters. There’s no denying the damage already done, and the list of changes needed to be implemented is extensive. As disheartening as it is to read this repeatedly, the book does provide an element of hope amongst the urgency.
This is most evident in the third section of the book, in which Peter Christoff offers practical insight into the systematic changes needed for Australia to be better prepared next time. Inclusive of the establishment of a Climate Future Fund, a National Climate Insurance Scheme and a new approach to bushfire management that is based on the knowledge and practices of Indigenous Australians, the information is presented in a digestible and actionable manner.
With its heavy subject matter and staggering statistics, The Fires Next Time is not always an easy read. However, its importance simply cannot be dismissed. This is an urgent call to action – one which should be heeded by all Australians.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
The Fires Next Time, edited by Peter Christoff is available now from Melbourne University Publishing. Grab yourself a copy from Booktopia HERE.
