Mission Zero: Lisa Roberts had her families dreams burned to the ground

Bushfire survivor Lisa Roberts says the science doesn’t lie - and she witnessed the ferocious result of ignoring climate change.

The federal government is now poised to make the historic announcement that Australia

will set a target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

But far from being the end of the argument, it is only the beginning. The question remains

how does Australia get there while at the same time protecting its economy and the

interests of workers and consumers.

Today we bring together five voices from all sides of the debate to make their case for how fast or slow Australia should go, and in which direction.

The Badga Forest fire churned into a mini tornado that ripped without mercy through the valley and ridgelines, annihilating all in its path.

This firestorm was a mad beast creating its own weather and this thing roared and howled and picked up everything we’ve built with our bare hands, swallowed it up and threw it around.

Seeing the once pristine and lush landscape, its ecology, inhabitants and wildlife completely savaged is heartbreaking. It now sits eerily silent, raped and desolate. Wandella was a place full of life where we’ve grown living things for 20 years.

We built our home and business from scratch — no money, no buildings, no power or water at the outset. But it had soul. Our team loved working there in a workplace like no other.

Our kids and friends had fantastic adventures playing along the creek, swimming in the dam, building cubbies, getting dirty, making art from found objects and breathing in real

life in nature.

Our totally self-sustaining property was completely off grid and we’ve dedicated our business to making a positive impact on the planet, practising what we preach in our own

back yard and making efforts to minimise our carbon footprint.

It’s not so much the buildings and “stuff” that is painful to lose. It’s the dreams and experiences there.

So, we’re back to where we started there with no power, water, phone, internet, buildings or facilities.

Working on and in the landscape in the ACT and NSW for the past 30 years finds us palpably aware of a changed and changing climate. This fire was of proportions unexpected

and it’s critical to rethink how we individually and collectively deal with new forces of nature.

Our team have been facing horrendous weather conditions working on project sites,

and it’s time we, the public, the designers, and the government, think more cleverly about how we work and the work that we’re doing.

We must plan and construct buildings and landscapes more appropriately as current practice will not be future proof. We must restore our landscapes and make smarter choices

about how we treat and use our planet’s natural resources. We must take personal responsibility for our part in all this and take action in our own lives.

And we must speak up about changed climate and why these fires were so ferocious – the science doesn’t lie.

Lisa Roberts is a bushfire survivor whose home and business in the Bega Valley was wiped out by the Black Summer fires of 2019-20

Originally published as Mission Zero: Lisa Roberts had her families dreams burned to the ground