The CASPR Blog

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 …

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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 …

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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, …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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Higher Degree Research with CASPR

Research degrees with CASPR will give you the opportunity to work with academic experts across a vast range of climate resilience and policy topics. We are currently hosting a number of PhD and Honours research students with areas of research including environmental policy, climate policy, climate adaptation, climate resilience, climate security, coastal sustainability, policy analysis, evidence-based policy and cultural values. Higher degree research (HDR) students are given the opportunity to delve into topics of particular …

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Internship Opportunity: CASPR 2020

By Lincoln Bennett At the end of 2019 I was encouraged to apply for an internship opportunity at Flinders University. Having taken a keen interest in environmental law and policy throughout my undergraduate degrees, I decided it would be in my best interests to apply. The CASPR internship was an excellent opportunity to develop my research skills and experience working with those in the environmental sector. During my time at university I never considered exposing …

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Self-employed women, retirement planning and flawed public policy

By Ros Wong I am obsessed with neoliberalism, creative financial processes and capitalism, and the gendered dynamics they reproduce.  Financialisation was a process that incorporated all three with direct and indirect effects. Thus, financialisation grounded both my M.A. and the PhD I commenced in 2015. My research centred on women in business across Australia. My doctoral thesis investigates why many self-employed women in Australia are unable to secure economic stability in old age. Consecutive neoliberal …

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