In this week’s episode, I interrupt the normal scheduling to bring you a special episode on space and bushfires. It seems that despite the technological advances that space has brought, we are still at the whim of nature when it comes to natural disasters. Or are we? 

To help me answer this question, I tracked down the best expert I know to tell me about the ongoing bushfire situation in Australia, and how space enabled technologies can assist efforts to predict, manage, and assess the impact of bushfires. It just so happens that he is also my Uncle. 

Professor John Handmer is an Emeritus Professor with the RMIT School of Science, and has qualifications and experience in human geography, economics and law. Recently named Australia’s top researcher in emergency management, he chairs the Scientific Committee of the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) Program of ISC (International Council of Science and the UNDRR), and is, or has recently been, on a number of Australian advisory bodies, which cover climate change adaptation, disaster risk and resilience, and most recently the National Vulnerability Profile project. John also ran the Bushfire CRC's communities research program and the post-Black Saturday human dimensions research. 

Information on how to donate to help the bushfire relief effort: https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/news-and-media/general-news/how-you-can-help

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Space Junk - Space and Bushfire Management (with Professor John Handmer)

I study international cooperation, space law, and science in extreme locations, particularly Antarctica and Outer Space, at Sydney University's School of History and Philosophy of Science. In this podcast I talk about space with people who know their stuff.