Australia enters era of disaster: bushfires and drought

Given the devastation and the geographical spread of bushfires in New South Wales and Queensland this week, a risk reduction expert has warned that Australia needs to prepare for ongoing disasters. Lives have been lost and homes destroyed and for the first time a 'catastrophic' danger warning was declared for greater Sydney. Robert Glasser is the former head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and he's now with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. His recent special report looking comprehensively at the risks facing security in Australia concluded that a new period of disastrous consequences has dawned with the effects of climate change, and the resulting increase in concurrent extreme weather events, with communities in danger of becoming overwhelmed by the frequency and severity of events.