References to figures and photographs appear in italic type; those in bold type refer to tables. References to endnotes show both the page number and the note number (188n5).

A

ABC see Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC)
Aboriginal people see First Nations people
Adey, P. 124
‘Against population, towards alterlife’ (Murphy) 152, 174–175
Ahmed, Sara 51–52
Ahuja, Neel 162, 173
air 20–21, 22, 53–54
air filtration systems see air purifiers
air pollution 17, 21, 86, 90, 91, 120
see also air quality ; smoke
air purifiers
as actors 45
data 25
importance of 76, 96–97
social networks, part of 44, 97
technologies 21–22
air quality
apps 57–58, 65, 76–77, 90, 109
data 24–25, 90–95
levels 5, 88, 98, 98–99
see also smoke
AirRater app 77, 90
Albrecht, Glenn 170
alcohol use 15, 60, 61, 131
Alice (interviewee) 134–135, 160, 161, 165–166
Alison (interviewee) 61, 91, 153–154, 156, 163–164
Allen, Louisa
about 1–2, 70
role in research project 16, 21, 29, 133, 182, 185
alterlife 19, 20, 106–107, 174–175
ambivalence response 163, 166–170, 171, 174
animals see pets ; wildlife
Anita (interviewee)
on evacuating 67, 125–127
on reproductive decisions 158–159
on smoke, impacts of 56
on social media 102–103
on support groups 142–143
Anthropocene 8–9, 13, 24, 131, 169
ANU see Australian National University (ANU)
anxiety
climate-related 121
evacuations 125–127, 129–130
information, lack of 60–61
information overload 101–102
management 64, 102
participant experiences 37–38, 47–49, 57–58, 62–63, 117, 122–123
see also mum-guilt
apps
air quality 57–58, 65, 76–77, 90, 109
fire 3, 5, 6, 7, 101–102, 103, 111
Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) 102–103
Australian National University (ANU) 4, 15–16

B

babies
bushfire 16, 108
choosing not to have 29, 39, 151, 153–156, 159, 160–164, 166–169, 170–174
COVID-19, exposure fears 63–64, 72, 115, 117
health impacts of smoke 17–18, 30, 61, 81–84, 105, 134
kin making 181–183
and population 151–152, 182
socialization challenges 22–23, 38, 68–69
see also children ; foetuses ; Pyro-reproduction
Barad, Karen 32, 54, 56
Behie, Alison 17, 83–84
biosensing 86–87, 95, 99–100, 108–109, 188n3 (chap.4)
biosociality 8, 9
birth
experiences 37, 134, 137, 138–140
fears about 58–59, 63, 105
see also babies ; foetuses ; pregnant women
birth rates 153, 154–155
birthweights 17, 61, 63, 83
Bissell, D. 124
Black Lives Matter 52
Black Saturday fires (Victoria, 2009) 15, 17, 83
Blue Mountains National Park 147
Böhlen, Marc 188n3
breath
about 53, 54
mum-guilt 52, 55, 65–68, 71–73, 183
presence of 21
breathing
act of 20, 53–54, 71, 108
fears 58–59, 109
freedom to 51–52
intra-active process of 54–55, 58, 69–70, 72
stories of 47–49, 58–59
Breathing Matters (Górska) 20
Bridget (interviewee) 101–102, 128–129, 140, 171–172
bubbles see care bubbles
bushfire babies see babies
bushfire smoke see smoke

C

‘The Camille Stories’ (Haraway) 181–182, 184
Canberra
air quality 27, 70–71, 86, 90–91, 119, 122
bushfires 2, 3–4, 5–6, 7, 118, 129
COVID-19 22, 133–134
demographics 34, 34–35, 90, 120
drought 3, 95
fire-management practices 11
housing 36–37, 95–96, 120
urban blaze (2003) 4, 17, 83
see also Namadgi National Park (Canberra) ; National Arboretum (Canberra)
CanberraAir 92–94, 95
Canberra Airport 4
Canberra Hospital 82, 119, 143
capitalism 19, 106–107, 155–156, 162, 163, 169, 174–175
Capitalocene 8–9, 13
carbon privilege 162, 164–165, 173
care
across species 122
inheritance of 161–162
normative expectations of 123–124, 144–145, 163
practices, adapting of 121, 135–136
see also care bubbles ; kinship ; social networks
care bubbles 25, 117, 132, 134–135
see also social networks
care maps
about 42–44
images of 43, 44, 178
see also social networks
Catt, G. 12
Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science (UNSW) 165
Chandler, Jo 130–131
Chen, Mel 22, 117
children
challenges faced by parents 22–23, 35, 38, 62–63, 121–122, 139–140
effect of fires on 14, 16, 86
see also babies ; foetuses ; mum-guilt ; Pyro-reproduction
Choy, Timothy 53, 71
Chthulucene 32, 184
see also Anthropocene
cigarettes see smoking (cigarettes)
citizen science 94–95, 100, 107–108, 183
Clark, Nigel 14, 157–158, 159
Clarke, Adele 32, 118
Clement, Susannah 140
‘climate change’ discourse 7–8
climate crisis
contributors to 12–13
evidence of 7–8
kinship and 25
living with 29, 105, 108, 189n2
relocating due to 165–166
reproduction and 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 39
reproductive decisions 29, 39, 151, 153–156, 159, 160–164, 166–169, 170–174
views on 118, 147–149, 158, 170–172
see also Pyrocene
climate refugees 126, 164
clinicians see professionals
Cobargo 103, 104, 113
colonialism 10, 11, 19, 144–145, 155, 156, 163
Connie (interviewee) 57, 61
control
fantasies of 134, 137
loss of 132–133, 165–166
controlled burning See fire management
Country 10, 11–12, 14, 20, 188n5
Country: Future Fire, Future Farming (Gammage and Pascoe) 188n5
COVID-19
cause of 13
evacuation centres during 128
exposure to 52, 53, 60, 62, 63, 64, 68
health care during 115, 138–139
lockdowns 22, 37, 38, 62, 63, 69, 90, 131–132, 138
protocols 37, 53
quarantining 42
research, effects on 18
silver linings 115, 117, 133, 139–140
Crutzen, Paul 8

D

data
air quality 24–25, 90–95
smoke 3, 5, 6, 7, 38, 101, 103
deaths
fire- and smoke-related 4, 173, 185
Deborah (interviewee) 138–139
Delhi 91
Delilah (interviewee) 60–61, 92, 103, 159–161, 171, 172
Dennis, Simone 56
digital platforms
role in Pyro-reproduction 21–22
smoke data 3, 5, 6, 7, 38, 101, 103
distributed reproduction 106, 166
domestic violence 15
drinking (alcohol) see alcohol use
drought 3, 8, 11, 37, 95
drug use 15, 60, 61
Dugdale, Paul (professional, interviewee) 16, 81–82, 107–108, 109
Dungay Jr., David 52

E

economization of life 154–155
education level
demographics of research participants 34, 34–35
and reproductive decisions 153–155
and risk awareness 60, 90, 105, 107
Edwards, Jenny 95–96
emissions 167–169, 168
environmental violence 162, 175
escape response 163–166
evacuation centres 125–126, 127–128, 186
evacuations
accommodation challenges 125–127, 143–144
decisions about 124–125, 128–129, 177
photos of 41, 48, 112
stories of 36, 59, 66, 111–113
experts see professionals
extinction 157, 158, 161, 162–163

F

Facebook
air quality 93
challenges with 102, 103
groups 31, 38, 40
kinship, virtual 23
recruitment of research participants 35
face masks see masks
farming 10, 13, 14, 187
Fergie, D. 144
filtration systems see air purifiers
fire
apps 3, 5, 6, 7, 101–102, 103
deaths caused by 4, 173, 185
humans’ relationship with 9–10, 12–13
regeneration capacity of 156, 157–158
season 3–4, 6, 11, 22, 30, 79, 90, 96, 157
see also smoke
Fire, A Brief History (Pyne) 24
Fire Country (Steffenson) 10
firefighters
deaths of 4, 113
gendered portrayal of 14–15, 188n6
roles during fires 25, 81, 112
fire management
Aboriginal practices 8, 11, 117–118
farming 10, 14
government-controlled 11–12
settler Australians practices 11
see also fire
Fires (television show) 15
Fires Near Me (app) 3, 5, 6, 7, 101–102, 103
firestick farming 10, 14
fire suppression 12
see also fire ; fire management
First Nations people
effect of fires on 13–14
fire-management practices 8, 11, 117–118, 187
knowledge of fire 11–12, 158
Floyd, George 52
foetuses
health impacts of smoke 17, 60–62, 83, 105, 119–120
health information, lack of 31, 38–39, 81, 86, 122
see also babies ; children ; mum-guilt ; Pyro-reproduction
forests
lost to fire 3, 4, 31
see also fire management
fossil fuels 8, 9, 13
Foucault, Michel 32

G

Gammage, Bill 12
Garner, Eric 52
Garnett, E. 21–22
gender see sex/gender
germination 10
gestational diabetes 65–66, 82, 83, 86
Gina (interviewee)
on air purifiers 98–99
on air quality 100
on COVID-19 64, 68
on mothers’ groups 141
on reproductive decisions 173–174
on smoke, impacts of 57–58, 60, 70
Górska, Magdalena 20, 52, 54, 55
government
controlled-burning programs 11–12, 14
crisis response 6, 8, 143–144, 145, 160
information, as a source of 70, 77, 80, 90, 93, 95–96, 101
lockdown regulations 53, 63, 69, 72, 131
report on health impacts of fires 15, 18
Griffiths, Tom 10, 13
groups, support 141, 142–143
guilt see mum-guilt

H

Hamilton, Jennifer 163, 181
Hannah (interviewee) 102
Haraway, Donna 8, 23, 32, 116, 181–182, 184
Harms, A. 69
Head, Lesley 130–131
health see public health; smoke; specific groups (e.g., babies, mothers)
Heidegger, Martin 20
Helen (interviewee) 56, 69, 141–142
Hendrixson, A. 152
Holocene 8–9
homelessness 15, 122, 145, 165
homes
air quality challenges 96–97
Canberra 36–37, 95–96, 120
fire, threat of 121
insurance 165
smoke, blocking out 37, 88–89, 92, 120
humans
climate change, role in 8, 13, 152–153
fire, relationship with 9–10, 12–13, 14, 19
nonhumans, relationship with 15, 16, 21, 22–25, 44, 54–56, 106, 183
see also kinship ; specific groups (e.g., babies , mothers )

I

infrastructures 19, 100, 135
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2021 report) 164–165
Interleaves 33
interviewees see Alice (interviewee) ; Alison (interviewee) ; Anita (interviewee) ; Bridget (interviewee) ; Connie (interviewee) ; Deborah (interviewee) ; Delilah (interviewee) ; Gina (interviewee) ; Hannah (interviewee) ; Helen (interviewee) ; Katya (interviewee) ; Libby (interviewee) ; Lily (interviewee) ; Lisa (interviewee) ; Matilda (interviewee) ; Naomi (interviewee) ; Nathan (interviewee) ; Rae (interviewee) ; Renee (interviewee) ; Sarah (interviewee) ; Shelley (interviewee) ; Tania (interviewee)
interviews
parents of newborns 33–39
professionals 39–40, 107–108
see also specific interviewees (e.g., Libby, Katya, Gina)
Into the Fire: Disaster and the Remaking of Gender (Pacholok) 188n6
intra-action 32, 54–55, 68–71
intra-relationalities 52, 55, 57
Irigaray, Luce 20
isolation 22–23, 38, 68–69

K

kangaroos 118, 172, 184
Katya (interviewee)
on breathing 47–49, 59
on climate change 147–149
on COVID-19 68–69, 136
on environmental impact of fires 117–118
on evacuating 125
on Zoom 141
kin making 23, 181–182
kinship
multispecies 25, 26, 118, 158, 182–183, 185–186
redefining 25, 117, 135–136, 163
virtual 23, 136–137, 140–141
koalas 3–4, 156, 185

L

labour see birth
Lappé, M. 121
Law, John 32
laxatives 121
Lego 121
Libby (interviewee)
on air quality 94, 97
on care bubbles 135, 136
on devastation from fires 122
on fears for baby 105
on heath advice 84–85, 122
on reproductive decisions 169
on smoke, impacts of 70
Lily (interviewee) 101, 140, 157, 158
Lisa (interviewee) 62–63, 90, 138, 166–167, 172–173
localized parenting 158
lockdowns
bushfire 5, 22–23, 62, 121
challenges faced during 22–23, 38, 62–63, 128, 133–138
COVID-19 29, 37, 68–69, 90, 131–132, 165
silver linings 117, 133, 139–140
Lopes, A.M. 108
Lucashenko, Melissa 131
Luciano, Dana 22, 117
Lupton, D. 60, 64

M

Mackendrick, N. 18
Making Kin Not Population (Clarke and Haraway) 32, 118, 151, 182
Malthus, Thomas 152
management, fire see fire management
Mariel, P. 91
masks
COVID-19 53, 90, 185
responsibility for wearing 65, 67, 79
smoke 1, 5, 21, 27, 36–37, 66, 89
Matilda (interviewee)
on air purifiers 97
on air quality 87, 143
on breathing 58–59
on evacuating 111–112, 129–130
on masks 89
on mum-guilt 67
on reproductive decisions 174
on smoke, impacts of 62, 66
Matters of Care (Puig de la Bellacasa) 144
MC2020 see Mother and Child 2020 (MC2020)
meat eating 13
Moore, Jason 8
Morrison, Joe 12
Morrison, Scott (former prime minister) 8, 103
Mother and Child 2020 (MC2020)
about 16, 18
participants 35, 57, 61
questionnaires 30, 33–34
mothers
about 23
birth experiences 37, 134, 137, 138–140
evacuation experiences 125–127
health information, lack of 38, 39, 61, 63, 79, 107, 183–184
interviews with, research 33–39
maternal responsibility, burden of 17–18
support groups 141, 142
see also mum-guilt ; pregnant women ; specific interviewees (e.g., Matilda, Katya)
mothers’ groups see groups ; mothers
multispecies relationships 25, 26, 118, 158, 182–183, 185–186
mum-guilt
about 51
breath as tool to challenge 52, 55, 65–68, 71–73, 183
COVID-19 pandemic 68–69
smoke, exposure to 60–64, 65–68, 105–106
See also masks ; mothers ; pregnant women ; smoke
Murphy, Michelle
alterlife 18–20, 106–107
chemical infrastructures 100
economization of life 154–155
kinship 32, 116
population 152, 162, 174–175
privilege 173
redistributive justice 109
reproduction infrastructures 135

N

Namadgi National Park (Canberra) 4, 5, 42, 172
Naomi (interviewee) 71, 121, 123–124
Nathan (interviewee) 160, 165–166
National Arboretum (Canberra) 4
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research 41
National Museum of Australia 38
neo-Malthusianism 152
NessAiver, Shalev 75–77, 93–95
net zero approach 167–169, 168
newborns See babies
Nimmo, Dale 185–187
Nolan, Christopher 16, 82–83, 119–120
Noll, Ben 41
nonhumans
carbon impact of 167
COVID-19 spread 13
deaths from fires 4
humans, relationship with 15, 16, 21, 22–25, 44, 54–56, 106, 183
smoke’s nonhuman agency 69–70, 72
‘nothing to see here’ discourse 6, 8, 157

O

O’Donnell, Megan 17, 83
Ojeda, D. 152–153
On Infertile Ground (Sasser) 152
orchids 187
Orroral Valley fire (2020) 172
overpopulation 151, 152, 153–153, 159–160
Oxley, R. 21

P

Pacholok, Shelley 188n6
parenting
kin making 181, 182
localized 158
privileging of 15
reparative 156
see also babies ; children ; mothers
Parkinson, Debra 15
particulate matter (PM) 5, 88, 90, 93
see also air quality
Pascoe, Bruce 12, 187
pets 39, 127–128, 132, 134, 139
Phillips, Christine 30
Pittman, Andrew 165
placentas 18, 105
Plantationocene 9
Pleistocene (Ice Age) 9
PM see particulate matter (PM)
population
kin, comparison 32, 182
reproductive decisions 151, 152, 153–154, 159–160
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 48, 59
Pranayama 54
pregnant women
breathing, intra-active process of 54–55, 58, 69–70, 72
experiences, varying during fires 21, 85
health impacts of bushfire smoke 17, 18, 105, 119–120
health information, lack of 38–39, 61, 63, 81–85, 183–184
mask wearing 89
risks, increased 60, 64–65
see also mothers ; mum-guilt ; specific interviewees (e.g., Matilda, Katya)
privilege
carbon 162, 164–165, 173
ecological 91
financial 13, 106, 133–134
and kin making 181–182, 184
normative 117
white 51–52, 106–107, 116, 125, 130–131, 132
professionals
on biosensing 100
health advice to pregnant mothers 81–85
interviews with 39–40, 81–82, 107–108
PTSD see Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
public health
on blocking smoke from homes 88–89
lack of information 38–39, 61, 63, 79, 107, 183–184
on masks 89–90
Puig de la Bellacasa, Maria 115, 144
purifiers see air purifiers
PurpleAir Citizen Science 93
Pyne, Stephen 8–12, 14, 24, 158
Pyrocene
about 8–9, 24, 32
fires 12–13, 24, 157
global effects of, unequal 13–15
see also Pyro-reproduction
Pyrocene babies see babies
Pyro-reproduction
about 19, 182–183, 187
alterlife 19, 20, 106–107
ambivalence response 166–170, 171
distributed reproduction 106, 166
escape response 163–166
see also babies ; children ; digital platforms ; mothers ; pregnant women ; technologies

Q

queer kinship 22, 23, 24, 115, 116, 117, 121, 136
see also kinship
queer politics 51–52

R

racism 14, 52, 156, 175
Rae (interviewee) 59, 130, 132–133, 143–144, 149–150
Rasmussen, Mary Lou 15–16, 29, 133–134, 139, 158, 182
refuge, places of see evacuation centres
regeneration 156, 157–158, 187
Renee (interviewee)
on cooling homes 96
on health advice 81
on masks 89
on postnatal depression 137
on smoke, impacts of 61–62, 63, 99
rental housing 120
see also homes
reproduction see Pyro-reproduction
‘Reproduction in the (m)Anthropocene’ (Rukaite) 169
reproductive citizenship 52, 65, 67, 72
reproductive violence 152
research
actor-network theory approach 45
interviews 33, 35–39, 39–40
methods 29–30, 31
participants, demographics 34, 34–35
see also specific interviewees (e.g., Libby, Matilda)
RFS (Royal Fire Service) app 101, 103, 111
rights 20, 106, 120, 145
risk society 52, 64–65, 72
Roberts, Celia
about 15–16, 29, 133
on biosensing 86–87, 95, 108
on evacuating 36, 112–113
interviews with professionals 81–83, 96
Rukaite, Kristina 169
Russell, A. 21

S

Sarah (interviewee)
on air purifiers 97, 99
on air quality 84, 86, 91–92, 94
on blocking smoke from homes 88–89
on loss of control 122–123
on mum-guilt 65–66, 68, 71
on reproductive decisions and climate crisis 155–156, 170–171
Sasser, Jade 152
settler colonialism see colonialism
sex/gender 14, 15, 21, 23
Shelley (interviewee) 63, 135–136, 164
shelters see evacuation centres
Silver, Lauren 116
Sloterdijk, P. 22
smell of smoke 56–58, 70, 87–88
smoke
assessing levels 86–88
biosensing 86–87, 95, 99–100
deaths caused by 4, 173, 185
health impacts of 17–18, 60–62, 105, 119–120, 174
in homes 37, 88–89, 120
as intra-active element 45, 55, 69–71
mum-guilt 60–64, 65–68, 105–106, 183
as nonhuman agency 69–70, 72
protecting oneself from 79–81, 80
smell of 56–58, 70, 87–88
see also air purifiers ; air quality ; fire
smoking (cigarettes) 21, 56, 60–61, 105, 168
social media 40, 102
see also Facebook
social networks
air purifiers as part of 44, 97
anticipated vs. actual 42–44, 132, 178
see also care bubbles ; care maps
solastalgia 170–174
Staying with the Trouble (Haraway) 181
Steffenson, Victor 7–8, 10, 12, 157
Stephen, Michael 53
stories
about 32–33
amateur photos 40–41, 42
see also individual interviewees (e.g., Katya, Gina, Matilda)
Strathern, Marilyn 151, 182
stress See anxiety ; mum-guilt
structural violence 106
support networks see care bubbles ; social networks
suppression, fire see fire suppression
Sutherland, Stewart 30
Sutton, S. 12

T

Tania (interviewee) 154, 161, 162
technologies
fire management 12
reproduction, role in 21–22, 64, 86, 173
social networks, role in 44, 133, 140–141
see also air purifiers ; apps
Torres Strait Islander see First Nations people
Twitter 93

U

United States 52

V

Vardoulakis, Sotiris 15–16
Victoria Black Saturday fires (2009) 15, 17, 83
violence
colonial 11, 19
domestic 15
environmental 162, 175
racial 52
reproductive 152
structural 106

W

Waitt, Gordon 140
water stations (for wildlife) 3
Weir, J.K. 12
‘weird experts’ 86, 91–92, 99–100, 102, 183
white privilege see privilege
wildlife
deaths caused by fire, smoke 4, 185
effect of fire on 3–4, 117, 118, 156, 172, 184, 185–186
see also multispecies relationships
Williamson, Bhiame 14
Williamson, Rebecca
about 4, 6, 27–28, 133, 177–179, 185
air quality interviews 57, 58, 91–94, 98–99, 101–103
climate change interviews 147–149
escape fantasy interview 163–164
evacuation interviews 125–126
reproductive decisions interviews 47–49, 124, 167
role in research project 16, 29, 33, 35–36, 45
wind direction 92, 93, 102
Wollemi Pines 147
wombats 185–186

Y

yoga 54, 142
Yusoff, Kathryn 14, 157–158, 159

Z

Zoom
interviews with mothers 33, 35–36
kinship, virtual 23, 140–141