Research Tuesdays: Risk-ready or not?

Natural disasters have always existed—but with the ever-advancing spectre that is climate change, their frequency, severity and cost are only increasing. Fires, floods, tsunamis, storms and heatwaves take tens of thousands of lives every year and effect devastating economic loss.

We’ve all seen media clips of disaster victims pleading with policymakers. We know there have been many inquiries into prevention and preparedness. So why haven’t their recommendations been translated into meaningful action at the community level?

There must be more to consider—and that’s where University of Adelaide researchers come in.

Our environmental engineers are developing decision support systems for governments. Our social scientists are studying climate adaptation in rural communities. Our lawyers are meeting emerging conservation challenges—and reimagining bushfire regimes.

All agree: more education is needed to help communities understand and reconceptualise risk—not just in the present, but tomorrow too. After all, it’ll take many hands to build a hazard-resilient future.

So, where to from here? Join us as we unpack the complexities of risk management.

The presenters

Dr Douglas Bardsley is an Associate Professor in Geography, Environment and Population within the School of Social Sciences at the University of Adelaide. His climate adaptation planning work has been undertaken within different contexts in Australia, Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia, Turkey, Switzerland and the European Union.

Dr Phillipa McCormack is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Adelaide Law School for the University of Adelaide. She is the Vice President of the National Environmental Law Association, a Global Associate with the Centre for Environmental Law, and was the inaugural recipient in 2022 of the Natural Hazards Research Australia’s Early Career Research Fellowship.

Dr Holger Maier is a Professor of Environmental Engineering at the University of Adelaide, and a Fellow of the Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand. He is an editor of Environmental Modelling and Software and a recipient of the Biennial Medals of the International Environmental Modelling and Simulation Society, and the Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand.

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