#Extreme events

Bushfire with smoke entering the atmosphere

Deconstructing disasters: Taking stock on where we are now, and dreaming our future

Australia and the world are facing multiple, successive, widespread disruptions which can lead to catastrophic disaster. A ‘Deconstructing Disasters’ approach can help us to build more resilience in our systems.

Plants resprouting from a tree trunk after fire

Building resilience in the wake of a disaster

We Aussies like to think we’re resilient, but knowing what that looks like at a time of unprecedented challenge takes more than national pride – it takes good science.

Dry dam with very little water

Day Zero and pathways to water security for regional towns

Day Zero marks the day when residential taps are turned off — a reality for some regional and rural towns across Australia. When this current drought breaks, we can’t lose sight of the fact that another drought will inevitably come. We have to prepare for water security now.

A charred black tree with signs of regrowth at the base. The regrowth looks red and green.

A changing climate could challenge our understanding of bushfires as ‘carbon neutral’ events

Australia’s fire season isn’t over yet, but a significant flux of greenhouse gases have already been released into the atmosphere. Our scientists have been exploring their impact.

landscape imae of city in the background with clouds

Climate intel for the future

Climate modelling increases our understanding of the impacts of climate change including risk of fire, flood and cyclones. But can we rely on climate projections to manage future risk?

Two people in flood waters, one holding a dog

Why don’t our cities cope with heavy rain?

As our climate changes, we'll experience more extreme weather. We're researching how we can create better cities that can withstand heavy rains and floods.

Bushfires and climate change Q&A with Dr Michael Grose

Australia is in the midst of an unfolding extreme bushfire season, with far-reaching impacts for many communities across the nation, particularly in the southern and eastern areas. We wanted to check in with one of CSIRO’s senior climate researchers, Dr Michael Grose, to understand how extreme events like bushfires are linked to climate change, and where science leads to certainty in our understanding and where there are more research questions to be explored.

Dry landscape burning with red son and black trees

A dry landscape and a dire season: we explain the current bushfire environment

Sydney and New South Wales (NSW) north coast residents continue to battle poor air quality as a result of fires burning through the state. Our bushfire expert Andrew Sullivan delves beyond the smoke haze to explain the current crisis and the tough conditions ahead.

A bushfire burns in the distance in Victoria.

Climate change and extreme events – quantifying the changing odds

The field of climate change event attribution research has emerged recently and can provide new insights into Australian climate extremes.