To mark World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development (4 March), we asked change-makers how engineering is shaping our lives.
Australia’s 2019-20 bushfire season was devastating, killing 33 people and burning 18 million hectares of land. But what if there was a way to stop bushfires almost before they begin?
One Australian organisation wants to reduce the scale and impact of dangerous bushfires by extinguishing them within one hour of starting.
Here’s how the Minderoo Foundation’s fire shield would work.
Early detection of fires and quicker responses to put out fires at their source could minimise the extent of damages to bushland, structures, and reduce risks to property owners and firefighters. A well maintained fleet of trucks and aerial bombers with trained personnel should be owned (not hired) by the State governments to ensure ready accessibility to such plant when needed to put out fires at their source, before they spread to endanger wildlife and communities. (Aerial bombers are needed for bushland inaccessible to fire trucks).