Australia Wildfires: Decoding the impact on Nature and Human Ecosystem

Join the Committee on Scholarly Interactions (CoSI) for a dinner discussion about the Australian wildfires!

Climate change is impacting our planet in various forms. Currently, we are witnessing wildfires across Australia. The impact of these wildfires is enormous. According to an NY Times article on January 11, "25,000 koalas feared dead on an island being consumed by flames. Ten thousand feral camels expected to be shot and killed. And claims that a whopping one billion animals estimated to have perished across Australia. These are a few of the numbers that have emerged in recent days to capture the toll of the extreme heat and raging fires on Australian animal life. They add to the already staggering scope of the fires, which have killed at least 24 people, destroyed more than 2,000 homes and scorched more than 15 million acres."

Several questions have emerged:

 (1) what caused these wildfires?;

(2) what scientific and policy framework will help in investigation and prevention of wildfires;

(3) can indigenous knowledge help prevent the spread of wildfires? If yes, what would be the engagement process will look like?

(4) what can we learn from this disaster?

In light of these questions and more questions, we will host the dinner discussion on the topic "Australia Wildfires: Decoding the impact on Nature and Human Ecosystems." Join us for an engaging discussion among residents!

Tuesday, January 28, 7pm Seminar Room, MIT Sidney Pacific.

RSVP Required: https://tinyurl.com/CoSI-AustraliaFires

For more information contact sp-cosi-chair@mit.edu