For John Church, a leading authority on sea-level rise caused by global warming, there was much that was fitting – and yet callous – about being sacked at sea.
The veteran scientist was well into one of dozens of research voyages he had taken since joining CSIRO as a post doctoral student in 1979.
His vessel, the RV Investigator, was midway between Antarctica and New Zealand and steaming north on the 170 degree longitude when he received Thursday’s call to tell him he was “potentially redundant”.
Sitting with a supporter in the ship’s conference room, Dr Church was told his services were no longer needed.
“I was OK during the call but it is certainly not a nice feeling to have what you have worked for – for so many years – thrown on the scrapheap,” the 64 year-old told Fairfax Media after finishing a 12-hour stint on watch.
Dr Church’s achievements include developing sophisticated models linking sparse tidal gauge information around the world with satellite data to reveal how much sea levels are rising.
The current mission is retracing previous journeys along the 170 W longitude line to measure precisely how key parameters such as temperature, salinity and acidity are changing.
As Dr Church notes, including in a Nature paper published last month, sea-level increases are accelerating as a warming planet melts glaciers and swells oceans.
From increases of a few tenths of a millimetre annually in the 1000 years before about 1850, the rate jumped 1.7 mm on average in the 20th century. Since 1993, the rise has quickened to about 3 mm a year, he says.
Despite this trend, CSIRO will slash about half the climate staff – about 70 scientists – in its Oceans & Atmosphere division. New hires will be made in climate adaptation and mitigation, the agency promises but numbers cited so far are much smaller.
As with other CSIRO staff, Dr Church will get a chance to save his job. The sole scientist on board to be told of a pending redundancy, he was granted until June 16 – or three weeks after the voyage ends in Wellington, New Zealand – to argue his case.
John Church is a high profile scientist & been vocal on impact of CSIRO cuts. Now told he's "potentially redundant." pic.twitter.com/WSnSgsALCO
— Michael Brown (@MJIBrown) May 14, 2016
Reblogged this on A Green Road Daily News.
“New hires will be made in climate adaptation”
“Children, I have a fun new game for you, called ‘Duck and Cover!’ “
Another “ruin the start of a nice day” post on Crock—-for the first time in two weeks, I woke up to the sun shining—-all the rain and gloom here in NO VA has been causing a resurgence of S.A.D., and I am greeted with both more commentary on Drumpf on the front page of the WashPost and THIS on Crock. Not a good start to the day.
Does the Australian emu bury its head in the sand like the ostrich? Do the powers that be down there do the same?
A climate scientist is told he’s “potentially redundant?” JFC! And CSIRO will slash its Oceans and Atmosphere division by half and increase its “climate adaptation and mitigation” by a much smaller number to compensate? Don’t Australians understand that their country is the developed nation that is the most vulnerable to climate change? Don’t they understand that “adaptation” and “mitigation” are basically fool’s games? The BAU folks answer to AGW?—-rely on technology to fix the damage done by our addiction to technology.
The ones who are definitely redundant are the morons who have made these decisions. What the hell is wrong with the folks down under that they sit still for this? We in the USA are by no means perfect in fighting the forces of evil, and Ted Crudz and friends are attempting to curtail NASA’s Earth study satellite program in favor of “deep space”, but we are at least holding the line and trying to move forward on many other fronts.
I guess some of us here in Australia seem to think we can solve a problem by shooting the messenger…..
Shooting the messenger is something most humans have been doing for a long time. but this action against CSIRO is more akin to flaying, drawing and quartering, and burning at the stake.
But wait! Humans have been doing those things for a long time also. I guess there’s no hope (although when it gets to Mad Max time down there I would like to see some of that happen to the AUS “leader” morons who have their heads in the sand).
It’s driven – mostly – by the incompetent clown who was put in charge of our most respected scientific organisation to “modernise” it. The clown who pondered, as he took over the reins, about whether the CSIRO should look into water dowsing/divining. http://melbourneskeptics.com.au/2014/10/new-csiro-head-wants-to-make-water-divining-easier-for-farmers/
He found it A.Ma.Zing that people waving sticks around seemed to find water so often. (The fact that water percolates underground as a matter of routine seems to have escaped his attention.) He’s also been known to wave his doctorate in physics about when he’s not bragging about being an entrepreneur holding a couple of dozen patents.
The man’s an embarrassing buffoon. Previous CEOs have been fairly distinguished scientists in their own right with CVs including stints as heads of other scientific and university operations. Appointing this “entrepreneur” was a serious mistake. For the CSIRO.
The only change to the anti-science, anti-intellectual posture of our unlamented former Prime Minister is that we once again have a Cabinet Minister with Science as an actual portfolio. There was none in Abbott’s ministry. I suppose the only thing the world can be grateful for is that the period of overlap of Steven Harper’s Canada and Tony Abbott’s Australia was so brief. But the damage in Australia is continuing.
We (any thinking Australian) could tell before Abbott was elected that he was a mouth piece for the forces of return to the 1950s, when oil was cheap and there was plenty of coal and the long boom was just beginning and those damn commies were the enemy. The new PM, Malcolm what ever his name is has been given the PM’s role to put a kinder face to the same policies that had Abbott sacked.
It’s still the same people in political charge from the hard right of politics (like a mix of Trump, Harper and Cruz). Both major parties are completely in the hands of the fossil fuel interests. At both national and state levels.
The sacking of this scientist is one of a very long line of shutting down endeavours to improve life and instead lower taxes for the rich.
With the long standing denial of everything that the “left” (defined as everyone who wants fossils to stay in the ground) might think is a good idea. Its a time of reaction to change and a deliberate effort to hang on for as long as possible to the old dominant paradigm of burn as much fossil fuels as possible mine as much as possible, as it helps the economy. (sic). Except now the mining boom is over and the economy needs change of focus and there focus now is on business to lead the way out. Obviously not the businesses that change the way forward.
Make no mistake these people (most of Australia’s hard right politicians) are anti communists looking for a new way forward. Dr Strangelove comes to mind. Reality is not needed just control.
In addition to the CSIRO the renewables industries are under attack and the
Clearly there are many forces against this but the out come is by no means certain.
I started reading this but I’m so fucking upset I can’t finish it tonight. Malcolm Turnbull you are a misleading and deceptive prick.
Well what would an upstart start-up wizard know about climate research best get rid of those who could cure his ignorance to save him further embarrassment. But I guess the likes of Larry Marshall don’t ‘do’ embarrassment.
A lot of attacks on the people and very few actual facts being presented. Here are a few facts. On past warming, the last 4000 years have been mostly warmer than the present
http://icebubbles.ucsd.edu/Publications/Kobashi_2011_GRL.pdf
A rather large amount of the surface data is an estimate
http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/30625/20150929/climate-change-staggering-92-percent-ushcn-temperatures-estimated-values.htm
Much is made of models here is study on how they compare to the Hadcrut, balloon, and satellite data, mostly much warmer
https://climateaudit.org/2016/04/19/gavin-schmidt-and-reference-period-trickery/
since we are talking about coral reefs here is a study that might throw some light
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2013/20131029_coral.html
What? No mention of trees growing under the glaciers in Alaska this time?
The Master Bates(er) is losing it. Or maybe he just lost that page out of his BS Talking Points for Moronic Deniers manual.
According to a latest poll the majority of Australian voters want to see a government committed to action on climate change. I hope and pray “ReachTEL” phrased their questions correctly, asked a truly representative sample, and people get out and vote. Please vote in a federal government that cares.
“Strong climate change policy is a vote-changing matter for a majority of Australians, a new poll shows, establishing the issue as an important battleground one week into the election campaign.” . . . . . . . .
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2016/election-2016-climate-change-policy-a-vote-winner-for-majority-of-australians-20160513-gouwbf.html
This is another in the long long line of attacks on climate science and associated industries here in Australia. It’s mindbogglingly stupid and bewildering. This government doesn’t bury its head in the sand or stick its fingers in it’s ears. This is wilful and calculated and being done on behalf of their donors. That ~50% of my countrymen think this is either okay or don’t care, is maddening.
http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/electricity-boss-mistakenly-sends-climate-skeptic-handbook/7418740
Electricity boss mistakenly sends climate skeptic handbook to Australia’s elite
The NSW Liberal Party donor emailed a climate skeptics handbook to hundreds of contacts, including top academics, politicians and some of Australia’s wealthiest people.
However, in the email that accompanied The Skeptics Handbook, Mr Massy-Greene said “This short piece on global warming by science writer (and scientist) Jo Nova is the best piece I have seen on global warming, and helps to explain what has so far been a very confusing debate.”
She has a microbiology degree and no practical real world scientific or research experience
Since when has “no practical real world scientific or research experience” been a disqualifier for a climate change denier? It hasn’t stopped Monckton, Watts, Happer, Inhofe, Russell Cook, and countless others from pooling and sharing their ignorance.
I have to laugh at the statement that “this short piece on global warming is the best he has seen”. Considering the dark place his head has likely inhabited for a very long time, he hasn’t “seen” much of anything.
It gets worse, having divided, dispirited and shed some of it’s most experienced crew CSIRO is now looking like a feeble organ of it’s governmental master. Removing Abbott made little difference, just normal political infighting and back stabbing.
CSIRO buries its futures forecast in fossil fuel technologies . . .
And, like the Coalition’s 2015 Energy White Paper and recent Budget, the 66-page report barely mentions climate change, ignores 2°C emissions scenarios, and gives scant mention to the numerous renewable energy technologies many consider will be a key ingredient of the global effort to avert dangerous climate change – something the CSIRO’s own Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station has now confirmed we are not doing nearly fast enough.
It also appears to reflect the new corporate direction the CSIRO has taken under the leadership of former US venture capitalist Larry Marshall, which has so far included the sloughing off of as many as 110 of the organisation’s world-leading climate researchers.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2016/csiro-buries-australias-future-30556