Adapting to bushfires means accepting their place in Australia

Bushfires, such as those currently burning in Tasmania are very common in Australia. And, as University of Tasmania lecturer Stewart Williams points out in his article on the pages of The Conversation, lessons are learned, new knowledge is being produced, and improvements are made. Such improvements in communication and evacuation may have contributed to the lack of fatalities in the latest incident.

However, Mr Williams raises the question whether local communities are being involved in the recovery decision making and whether the rebuilding is done in a way to avoid future disasters. He adds, that the insurance sector "has a key role in disaster management and housing recovery but currently appears under-utilised as a mechanism of climate adaptation". Finally, he warns that "in the context of a slowly evolving landscape and rapidly changing climate, true adaptation will require us to accept the reality of bushfire as a constant presence in our lives."