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New scientific findings that overturn traditional assumptions about fuel load management indicate that climate change is reducing the effectiveness of hazard reduction burning.

During the 2019-20 black summer fires Prime Minister Scott Morrison raised concerns over the scale of hazard reduction, which is managed by state governments, and called for a national approach that was aimed at shaming states into action.

Federal Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud had earlier launched an inquiry in 2019 into states’ rates of hazard reduction.

But NSW and Victoria moved away from annual targets for hazard reduction burning in recent years, following expert warnings the strategy incentivised agencies to seek easy fuel load reductions in remote locations that did little to reduce risks to lives and property.

Griffith University Professor Brendan Mackey said the drying, heating climate under global warming made hazard reduction burning increasingly less effective. Black summer fires claimed 33 lives, destroyed 3000 homes and left thousands homeless.

Read the full article on The Sydney Morning Herald website, featuring Prof David Lindenmayer