Extreme events

A boat sits on the water while the bush behind it (on the edge of the lake) is on fire.

Sometimes playing with fire is actually the safest option – especially when you’re building houses designed to withstand extreme events.

Diagram showing resilience planning

Recent extreme climate and disaster events are fresh in our minds given the summer of 2019/20. So it's timely to question what we can do to build climate and disaster resilience to support our communities, the economy and our environment.

Plants resprouting from a tree trunk after fire

Australia is one of the most fire-prone countries on earth. Last summer, as the fires raged, so did the national debate: could we have done more to prevent the carnage? Should we have done more hazard reduction burning?

A map of NSW.

The new NSW Spatial Digital Twin will assist emergency services in developing effective emergency management strategies ahead of the upcoming bushfire season.

Two people in flood waters, one holding a dog

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.

A dam wall and water

A new national forecasting service is giving dam operators, river managers – even kayakers – a clearer picture of river and stream flows up to a week in advance. Paradoxically, uncertainty is a key to more reliable forecasts.

Two people in protective clothing by a fire

With a view of bushfires from the ground to the air, CSIRO scientist Matt Plucinski wants Australians to learn from the other crisis of 2020.

People standing on a badly eroded coast line. The image shows the effects of a king tide on Queensland’s Gold Coast beachfront.

COVID-19 has highlighted the need for communities globally to prepare for, and adapt to, natural shocks, including climate change.

An overhead shot of a baled field.

Regional communities can make necessary changes in response to droughts and other related challenges including the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic using a transition planning approach that builds their resilience and sustainability into the future.