Trump v Hobart’s world-leading Fire Scientist
RST Apology to Tasmanian Aboriginal people 2021.
RST Apology to Tasmanian Aboriginal people 2021.
Who do you trust when it comes to climate change?
6 November 2025
In September at the UN General Assembly, President Donald Trump called climate change “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world”. Instead, as climate change intensifies and bushfires become more frequent and destructive, the Royal Society of Tasmania (RST) invited members and guests to an important talk by one of the world’s foremost fire experts, Professor David Bowman.
More than 55 people came to the talk and RST President Julie Rimes said, “We are lucky that Hobart is home to Professor Bowman and he agreed to give this special presentation. Professor Bowman takes the complicated science of climate change and makes it understandable for the rest of us. His talk was pitched at anyone who wants to know more about the world around us and the realities of the fire threat.”
Titled “In a Warming World: How Do We Coexist with Fire?”, this lecture was timed for the start of the bushfire season and explored the science, policy, and cultural shifts needed to live safely with fire in a rapidly changing climate. Professor Bowman, Director of the Fire Centre at the University of Tasmania and an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow, shared groundbreaking research and practical insights on fire ecology, risk management, and community resilience.
Date: Sunday, November 2, 2025
Location: Geology Lecture Theatre, UTAS Sandy Bay Campus
Speaker: Professor David Bowman, Pyrogeographer and Fire Scientist
Media contact: Sue McKerracher 0404 456 749
Website: https://rst.org.au
About the Royal Society of Tasmania
Founded in 1843, the Royal Society of Tasmania is Australia’s oldest scientific society, dedicated to advancing knowledge and promoting public understanding of science, history, and the arts. Through lectures, publications, and community engagement, the Society fosters informed discussion and celebrates Tasmania’s rich intellectual and natural heritage.
The Royal Society of Tasmania acknowledges, with deep respect, the traditional owners of this land, and the ongoing custodianship of the Aboriginal people of Tasmania. The Society pays respect to Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge that Tasmanian Aboriginal Peoples have survived severe and unjust impacts resulting from invasion and dispossession of their Country. As an institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge, the Royal Society of Tasmania recognises Aboriginal cultural knowledge and practices and seeks to respect and honour these traditions and the deep understanding they represent.
On 15 February 2021, the Royal Society of Tasmania offered a formal Apology to the Tasmanian Aboriginal people.
