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Dr Tayanah O鈥橠onnell is a lawyer and social scientist whose work regarding 鈥榯he coastal lawscape鈥 affects us all. Her PhD thesis and pursuant work looks at 鈥榟ow climate change adaptation strategies are framed by different policies and laws, and how these strategies are negotiated 鈥 between local councils, state policy and private property owners鈥.
Dr O鈥橠onnell was bitten by the law bug at age six following a discussion with her grandmother about the traditional British breakfast bubble and squeak. 鈥業 was adamant there were no vegetables 鈥 because I hated veggies then, but loved her bubble and squeak! It was the only time I ever heard her raise her voice, when she said, 鈥測ou could argue with a mouthful of marbles underwater. You should become a barrister!鈥.鈥
However, Dr O鈥橠onnell isn鈥檛 your average high-achiever. She initially didn鈥檛 finish high school.
She returned to schooling as a 19-year-old single parent, attending Liverpool TAFE and completing a year 12 equivalent course in order to attend university. 鈥楳y then TER was high enough to study law/social sciences at any university, but Western was my first choice鈥, she says. After graduating with her Bachelor of Laws/Social Science (Hons) and Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice, she practiced law for a few years. She then went to work as Tipstaff to the Hon Justice Sheahan AO in the NSW Land and Environment Court, where an interesting piece of litigation inspired her career in research.
鈥楾hat was the Vaughan litigation. Vaughan is a coastal property owner whose house is located in a high-risk coastal zone. He鈥檚 commenced numerous legal actions to protect his property rights.鈥 The 2009 case was about the conditions of a development consent for a sandbag wall, which was built but subsequently collapsed during a storm, taking with it several metres of Vaughan鈥檚 land and causing severe public asset and beach damage. 鈥楾his case was interesting, because although it wasn鈥檛 about specific climate change impacts, it represented the types of legal cases we might see in the future鈥, she says.
鈥楥limate change will see a lot more of these types of impacts, with devastating legal, environmental and social consequences for coastal zones.鈥
Having completed her PhD in human geography, Dr O鈥橠onnell now has 鈥榓n equal love for geography鈥 as she does for law but says 鈥業 don鈥檛 see these issues as binary 鈥 they鈥檙e interrelated, a system.鈥
鈥楾hrough the lens of a 鈥渃oastal lawscape鈥 we can better understand the relationship between law, politics and culture in the context of coastal climate change adaptation.鈥
Dr O鈥橠onnell is Director of Future Earth Australia hosted by the Australian Academy of Science, of which 91成人 is a member.
鈥楾he team links science to sustainability鈥, she explains. 鈥極ne example is our focus on sustainable urban systems. We鈥檙e running a dozen full day workshops around the country to build communities of practice on urban issues and opportunities, and to build an evidence base for a national strategy for Australia鈥檚 cities. The long-term sustainability of our cities is critical given the expected environmental, social, and economic changes we know are coming due to climate change. It鈥檚 also practical given the rapid rate of expansion of urban centres, here and around the world.鈥
So working in climate change, is Dr O鈥橠onnell a pessimist or an optimist?
鈥楢n optimist鈥, she says firmly. 鈥業 have to be for my children and future grandchildren. I want them to know I did everything I possibly could.鈥
