A Future in Flames

No other continent on earth is as susceptible to bushfires, over such a large area, as Australia. Fires are a constant and ongoing part of our history, ecology and culture. Yet despite repeated disasters, across all states throughout the last two centuries, we seem to be no better at surviving bushfires today than we were when fires burnt through the first European settlements.

A Future in Flames is a personal journey of discovery that looks at what we have learnt from the lessons of the past and attempts to understand why, after so many years, people are still dying in bushfires.

This well-informed and deeply personal account analyzes bushfires from various angles and examines the possibility of limiting their disastrous effects. With fires being a constant and ongoing part of Australian history, ecology, and culture, this study shows that, despite repeated disasters throughout the last two centuries, surviving bushfires today has become no easier than during the first European settlements. With rigorous factual research, this record outlines Australia’s significant fires and discusses the aftermath of each. Topics also include climate change, arson, fire behavior, firefighting strategies, and the psychology of survival.

Courier Mail

A discomforting but hugely important book that deserves to be widely read

Danielle Clode is a psychologist, an ecologist, and a writer. She is the author of Voyages to the South Seas, which won a Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for nonfiction.