Sociological responses to the bushfire and climate crises

Lockie, Stewart

Abstract

[Extract] Only a few months ago, the Australian Government was accused of undermining negotiations over implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement. Today, the world’s media is reporting that Australia is on fire and the same government is facing an electoral backlash over its reluctance, among other things, to implement more ambitious climate policies. The obvious question is whether the bushfire crisis will offer a political circuit breaker either here or abroad – an opportunity to move past the polemics that dominate climate politics and toward more meaningful and urgent action? While sociological research cannot answer this question it can provide insight into some of the possibilities. I will discuss these possibilities in this essay but my main purpose is to reflect on the broader implications of the fires for those of us working in the social sciences.

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Environmental Sociology

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2325-1042

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Taylor & Francis

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DOI

10.1080/23251042.2020.1726640