The CASPR Blog

legal

Bushfire Legal Help Community Outreach

Law is probably not the first thing you think of to help to build resilience and capacity in communities impacted by catastrophic fire or other natural disasters. But information about the law, the legal rights of landowners and other community members and how to access legal services are critical – not only in responding once a fire has occurred, but also in prevention of future risks. Information about their legal rights and obligations can empower those in …

postgrads

Elizabeth’s PhD research with CASPR: Transforming Farmers Markets.

In 2016, I spent a year abroad in Leeds and a picked up a single class that changed my life. Land, Fuel and Agriculture introduced me to the world of international food networks, harmful agricultural systems and the alternatives that people around the world are using to reform their relationship to food and agriculture. Despite being completely different from everything else I had studied, I fell in love with the subject. Urban agriculture and farmers markets were of particular interest to me, as well …

newly published

Does ‘formal’ stakeholder consultation influence the outcome of Australian food regulatory policy?

An article recently published in the Health Promotion International journal reports on work conducted by Flinders and Deakin University researchers that examined the food regulatory decision-making process in Australia. The national policy on the voluntary fortification of foods and drinks with vitamins and minerals developed between 2002 and 2012, was used as a case study to understand the best means for public health professionals to effectively engage with, and have an influential role in, policy development. Written stakeholder submissions to the public consultation on voluntary food fortification policy were analysed to determine how the policy ‘problem’ was …

congratulations

Judi’s Path to a PhD with CASPR

My Honours dissertation proved that directors of five Australian fossil fuel corporations had contravened several criminal sections of the Corporations Act, by their conduct in relation to climate change, and that they could be sentenced to jail, receive hefty personal fines, and be disqualified from holding directorships of Australian companies for life. I am passionate about human rights, animal rights, and everything, and anything, environmental. Therefore, I sought a topic related to climate change, which …

newly published

EIA effectiveness in Vietnam: key stakeholder perceptions

A paper just released by Dr Beverley Clarke and Cong Chi Vu (Flinders University Master of Environmental Management graduate) presents a unique empirical study from Vietnam based on the perspectives of those engaged in the Environmental Impact Assessment system there. The paper evaluates the effectiveness of Vietnam’s EIA system from varied perspectives including government, NGOs, academia, and industry. Results suggest that, like other developing countries, Vietnam’s EIA performance, in practice, faces several significant challenges and …

coastal

Wellbeing benefits of wetlands

Study measures social value of key coastal assets Australians love their beaches, and now a new study also confirms the broad appeal of other coastal assets such as coastal wetlands and protected areas. In one of the first studies of its kind in Australia, Flinders University environment and marine ecology experts have conducted an Adelaide-based survey of how residents connect with and rate the attributes of Adelaide’s northern metropolitan coastal wetlands (see map). The findings, …

event

Climate activism and the COVID moment: securing the green new deal and climate justice

Associate Professor Cassandra Star presented a lunchtime lecture as part of the Flinders University online miniseries ‘Braving COVID’. A/Prof Star’s presentation was titled ‘Climate activism and the COVID moment: securing the green new deal and climate justice’ . The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the US. A Green New Deal would focus economic stimulus towards transformation to a green …

event

Climate Change: Managing the Unavoidable, Avoiding the Unmanageable

Climate Change: Managing the Unavoidable, Avoiding the Unmanageable was the topic of the sold-out 2020 Flinders University Investigator Lecture. The annual lecture is an important part of Flinders University’s public education program and contribution to the cultural life of South Australia. The keynote speaker of the evening was one of the world’s leading climate experts, Professor David Karoly, beaming in from Melbourne. David spoke about the latest research and conclusions that may change the way …

research

Integrated assessment of local governments’ coastal adaptation planning and practice

All South Australian coastal councils are exposed to changing climatic conditions. Some are already directly responding to the effects of enhanced erosion and flooding. The challenges faced by SA’s coastal councils vary considerably. There also exists great variability among councils in terms of their resourcing, capacity, and readiness to act. It is not known how successfully councils are adapting. There is much to be learnt from councils’ collective experiences across South Australia. With funding from …

newly published

CASPR releases videos from key polar policy experts

A number of papers from the Geostrategic Futures symposium will soon be available in a peer-reviewed open-access book. CASPR has also produced a series of videos highlighting the insights of polar policy experts. They are freely available below, and on CASPR’s YouTube channel.