CSIRO Dismantles 'Integrated' Climate Science Group As Pressure Mounts On Larry Marshall

Fairfax - Peter Hannam

What the CSIRO cuts mean for Australia
CSIRO's plans to shed 275 staff will impact upon our understanding of how climate change is going to affect Australia, explains Fairfax's Peter Hannam.

CSIRO's deep cuts to its science programs have come under fresh criticism with the head of a global network of monitoring stations warning Australia will lose key researchers that will dent the country's ability to manage future climate change.
Almost all the staff at CSIRO's Yarralumla, ACT site researching how vegetation is responding to rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns – information that feeds into the world's main climate models – have been told their jobs are "surplus to needs", senior scientists say.
The latest revelations about the impacts of the jobs cuts first announced in February come as more questions are raised about the suitability of Larry Marshall to head the agency.

Under fire: Dr Larry Marshall, Chief Executive of CSIRO. Photo: James Brickwood

Fairfax Media reported on Friday Dr Marshall was chosen as CEO despite questions over his record as a scientist and Silicon Valley entrepreneur.
Greens science spokesman Adam Bandt called on CSIRO's board to reject the Turnbull government's endorsement of a three-year contract extension for Dr Marshall when it meets on June 23-24.
"The appointment of Larry Marshall was a failed experiment by Tony Abbott. It turns out you can't run a long-standing public institution like a Silicon Valley start-up," Mr Bandt said.

Changing rainfall patterns and rising temperatures won't just affect ecosystems but also Australia's agriculture, experts say. Photo: Jessica Shapiro

"It is vital that other political parties signal their intentions before the CSIRO Board meets in June to potentially consider what happens with the expired contract, he said.
Kim Carr, Labor's shadow science spokesman, said the current mess at CSIRO in which world-leading staff and programs were axed was the result of "ill-considered and rash decisions".
"Given we are in an election period, Labor has called on the Liberals to halt the job cuts," Senator Carr said, adding that the ALP has committed to a review of CSIRO if it wins the July 2 election.
Fairfax Media sought comment from Science Minister Christopher Pyne.
At Yarralumla, as many as 13 of the 14 staff in Micrometeorology and complex system science will go, insiders say.
Research at risk includes those behind the Australian National Outlook report that assessed how the economy will be affected by global warming.
Dr Marshall hailed the work, going on ABC's 7.30 on the day the cuts were announced: "It was published in Nature. I think it's one of the first times detailed modelling of predicting the future for a country has actually been published as a scientific paper and it was really highly regarded because we use science to try and predict how to get a better future for Australia."
Also at risk is the Ozflux research team – part of the global Fluxnet group of about 500 stations. Scientists have been told their work is no longer needed and a only single technician may remain.
Dennis Baldocchi, the coordinator of Fluxnet based in Berkeley, California, said the closure of the research "would cause a significant hole".
"It's easy to collect numbers – you've got to make sure you can interpret them," Dr Baldocchi said. "The whole field owes a lot to Australia."
CSIRO runs one of the key "flux" stations in Australia, based at Tumbarumba in southern NSW. The tower constantly monitors how carbon-dioxide, water and energy move between the forests and the atmosphere. (See the 30 flux sites in Australia, New Zealand below.)
"We're not sexy like curing cancer, but we study the breathing of the biosphere," Dr Baldocchi said.
"Losing Tumbarumba would mean losing an important piece of the puzzle," one senior researcher said. "[It] is also one of the only two towers that have a long time series – greater than15 years."
"This is very valuable when we look at, for instance, variability and extremes, which are both changing under a changing climate and which we both don't understand well," the scientist said.
Australia's highly variable climate also means small changes in evaporation, plant die-back or drought can have big impacts on both eco-systems and agriculture.
CSIRO did not comment on the Yarralumla cuts other than to say talks were ongoing. "All of the talks and negotiations at present have the same goal of ensuring the excellent science and the long-term future of CSIRO is maintained," a spokesman said.

Links
What the CSIRO cuts mean for Australia
Australia cut from UN report on climate threat to avoid damaging reef tourism
Warming times: How Sydney and much of Australia is caught in a hot spell
The most polluted city in the world isn't Beijing or Dehli

Editorial: In A Word, Why Climate Change Matters: Water

Chicago Tribune - Editorial Board

Why should Chicagoans care if parts of the globe run out of water? Because water crises can lead to large-scale migration, and even conflict. (Antonio Perez, Chicago Tribune)

Think climate change and what comes to mind? The Arctic Ocean melting like an ice cube under a July sun? Island paradises swallowed up by rising seas? Beefier hurricanes crashing into coastlines with greater frequency?
There's a ring of truth to all of the above, and it should make all of us think and act greener. Now, the World Bank has come out with a report that sums up one of the gravest of climate change consequences with just one word: water. As in, not enough of it.
By 2050, the report projects, water scarcity could cause economic growth in some parts of the world to drop by as much as 6 percent. Regions where water is plentiful will get thirsty, and regions already struggling with scarcity will get thirstier. Water availability in cities could plummet by as much as two-thirds by 2050 compared to 2015 levels.

Mary-Therese Heintzkill, of Chicago, plays with her dog "Jett" at the Evanston Dog Beach on May 12, 2016. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)

The World Bank makes a good case for the linkage between global warming and water scarcity. Steady population growth in coming decades will produce a bigger demand for water. The world's population is expected to top 9 billion by 2050. That means food production will need to double, and ramping up agricultural output requires setting aside more water for farming. More people also means a need for more energy. Providing power is one of the biggest consumers of water. By 2035, the World Bank predicts, energy is expected to consume 85 percent more water than it does now.
At the same time, global warming will push up temperatures, creating more evaporation — meaning there will be less water at a time when farms and power producers need more of it. And with global warming come rising sea levels, which destroy coastal aquifers with salinity, further reducing available fresh water.

Lake Michigan has a mind of its own

It's not that global warming sops up water and never returns it. Rather, water is being redistributed in ways that make matters worse for water-scarce regions. Those regions, for the most part, include poorer, developing countries that lack the wherewithal to solve water scarcity. Parts of the world most at risk include the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia and Central America. Overall, a quarter of mankind lives in places burdened by water scarcity, the report states. In 20 years, that share could double.
It all sounds fairly grim. The World Bank, however, offers up some solutions. Too many cities and towns around the world make water free. The report advocates pricing that reflects water's value. We're likely to be better stewards of water if we price it as the precious commodity it is.
Desalination plants that turn seawater into drinking water have been godsends to countries such as Israel that for decades coped with water scarcity, but that approach has a flip side: Desalination devours energy and is therefore expensive. The report also touts recycling storm water and "gray water" — water from sinks, showers, tubs and washing machines.
Those remedies help, but they work around the edges of the core problem — climate change.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions should top the list of answers. The Paris agreement on climate change, signed by more than 170 nations in April, is a good start. That accord calls for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that would limit the planet's warming to an increase of no more than 3.6 degrees above pre-Industrial Revolution levels.
Countries still need to hammer out action plans to meet that goal, however, and then act on those plans. The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and many world leaders believe the right incentive to coax emissions reductions is to impose "carbon pricing," requiring fossil fuel polluters to pay for carbon dioxide they send into the air. President Barack Obama backs the concept, but he's leaving office in January.
Chicago is perched on one of the world's most plentiful fresh drinking water sources — one of the Great Lakes. So, why should Chicagoans care if parts of the globe run out of water? Well, water crises can lead to large-scale migration, and even conflict. The report is careful to not suggest that water scarcity will start wars between nations, but it does stress that water scarcity has in the past sparked violence and civil conflict within countries. "In a globalized and connected world, such problems are impossible to quarantine," the World Bank says.
The report ought to be a wake-up call to a world that has treated water as if its quantity is boundless. It's not. It's finite and increasingly scarce, and we need to start learning how to manage it better. One of the best ways to do that is to confront climate change head-on.

Links

• UN agency: Pace of environmental damage 'intensifying' across the globe
• After the Pacific Ocean swallows villages and five Solomon Islands, a study blames climate change
• Donald Trump calls global warming a 'hoax,' until his golf course is threatened

Climate Change Threatens Iconic Sites Worldwide, But One Country Is Trying To Hide

Mashable Australia - Olivia Niland  |  Johnny Simon

Venice, Italy and its surrounding lagoon is extremely vulnerable to rising sea levels. Image: Getty Images

Venice, Stonehenge and the Statue of Liberty are among more than two dozen World Heritage sites—which are often popular destinations for summer tourists— threatened by climate change, according to a UNESCO report released Friday.
But no sites in Australia are mentioned in the report, even though the country's Great Barrier Reef, a World Heritage site, has been suffering from a massive coral bleaching event caused by unusually mild ocean temperatures. The rising temperatures have been linked to human-caused global warming.
Australia is absent from the report, according to multiple news sites, because the country's ambassador to UNESCO had its section scrubbed over worries the revelation may curb tourism.
Australia's absence has angered scientists connected to the report as well as local politicians, who say trying to hide the state of the Great Barrier Reef from one report won't stop people from learning about the problem.
"It won't work because Australians realize that the Great Barrier Reef is under terrible threat," Larissa Waters, a Greens senator from Queensland told the ABC.

Great Barrier Reef © OUR PLACE

The report was written before the latest global coral bleaching event, said Adam Markham, the deputy director of climate and energy with the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
Markham said the original draft did mention climate change as a major risk for the reef as well as the site's history.
The UCS, UNESCO and the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) co-authored the report, "World Heritage and Tourism in a Changing Climate," which describes 31 other natural and cultural sites located in 29 countries as being at risk due to climate change. The sites include Yellowstone National Park, Mt. Everest and the Galapagos Islands.
Greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil are causing the greatest environmental threat facing these World Heritage sites, the organizations conclude.
The effects of global warming, such as melting glaciers, rising sea levels and worsening droughts could devastate local economies heavily reliant upon the tourism industry, the report finds. Though beneficial to local economies, the researchers note that "the tourism sector itself is vulnerable to climate change," and carbon emissions from tourism are expected to more than double within the next 25 years.
The report calls for action to be taken to protect the sites, which have "universal value to humankind." In order to do this, the report concludes, world leaders must work to implement new environmental policies, reduce greenhouse gas emissions to meet the Paris Agreement aimed at preventing global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, above preindustrial levels, and educate tourists about climate threats facing vulnerable World Heritage sites.
"Globally, we need to better understand, monitor and address climate change threats to World Heritage sites," Mechtild Rössler, director of UNESCO's World Heritage Center, said in a statement to Mashable.
"As the report's findings underscore, achieving the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global temperature rise to a level well below 2 degrees Celsius is vitally important to protecting our World Heritage for current and future generations."
The report notes that historic buildings, monuments and fragile coral reefs are particularly vulnerable to climate change and environmental stressors. Beyond the Great Barrier Reef, more than half of the world's coral reefs are at risk of degradation, while rising Adriatic sea levels have already damaged hundreds of buildings in Venice.
In some cases, relocating buildings and monuments may be an option, but in most situations it is not.
"Cultural resources lose part of their significance and meaning when moved," the report notes. "And, once lost, they are gone forever."

Hoi An, Vietnam
The old town of Hoi An, Vietnam, which dates back to the 15th century and sits only 2 meters above sea level, will be dealing with increasingly severe floods and storm surges from typhoons in the future.  Image: Pawel Toczynski/Getty

Cordillera Mountains, Philippines
 The picturesque rice terraces of the Philippine Cordillera Central Mountains are extremely sensitive to climate change, after being cultivated in a very stable climate for centuries. Image: Jacob Maentz

Yellowstone National Park
Shorter winters, less snowmelt and drier summers are putting Yellowstone National Park at risk of more severe wildfires. The park is home to moose, wolves and bears, and is among the most visited in the United States, drawing 4 million visitors in 2015.  Image: AFP/Getty Images

Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal
The high peaks of Nepal's Sagarmatha National Park, which includes Mount Everest, are particularly vulnerable to severe glacial melt. Shrinking glaciers in this area have caused landslides, floods and put local endangered species at risk. Image: POJCHEEWIN YAPRASERT/Moment RF/Getty

Wadden Sea, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands
The Wadden Sea is the largest unbroken body of intertidal saltflats and mudflats in the world, and belongs to Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany. The area is home to a diverse wildlife population, including seals and millions of birds, but its beaches are threatened by erosion due to rising sea levels.  Image: Photothek via Getty Images

Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos Islands, home to hundreds of endemic species, is especially sensitive to the effects of climate change as increased rainfall has led to overgrowth of some plants. This endangers the wellbeing of other species. Seven of the islands most well-known species, including giant tortoises, penguins and sea lions, are at risk of declining as the planet warms. Image: Paul Souders/Digital Vision/Getty

Lunenberg, Nova Scotia
Each year, more than 1.8 million tourists visit Old Town Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, Canada, where rising sea levels are causing increased damage and flooding during powerful storms. Climate change could threaten Lunenberg's main industries: fishing, shipping, and tourism, which generates $115 million in revenue each year.  Image: Wolfgang Kaehler/Lightrocket/Getty

Statue of Liberty
Rising sea levels and storm surges like those seen during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 threaten one of New York's most distinctive icons, the Statue of Liberty. The hurricane's destruction caused the Statue of Liberty to be closed for repairs for nine months, and resulted in approximately $100 million in damage.  Image: Alex Trautwig/Getty 

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
Home to centuries-old Native American archeological sites, Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado is threatened by the longer and drier weather associated with climate change, leading to costly wildfires and a lack of vegetation needed to stabilize soil and prevent destructive erosion. Image: MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/GEtty

Stonehenge
Even Stonehenge, which has stood in the United Kingdom for millennia, is threatened by climate change. Increased rainfall has placed the plain it sits on at risk of flooding and soil erosion. Image: NIKLAS HALLEN/AFP/Getty

The Holy Valley and Forest of the Cedars of God, Lebanon
The emblematic cedar forests found in the mountains of Lebanon, now reduced to just 5% of their original size, are at risk of disappearing following massive deforestation and the ongoing effects of climate change. Image: AFP/Getty

Wadi Rum, Jordan
Jordan's Wadi Rum is a desert rock formation home to caverns, arches, and animals including falcons, Arabian oryx and Nubian ibex. Its plants also provide food and medicine to local Bedouin people, but the area is currently under threat from tourism and climate change resulting in warmer temperatures and drought.  Image: Adam Pretty/Getty

Komodo National Park, Indonesia
Climate change and its likely symptoms (increased rains, ocean acidification) is threatening the home of the Komodo Dragons, which are endemic to Komodo National Park in Indonesia and whose breeding patterns may be affected by climate change. The islands of the national park are also home to mangroves and coral reefs, which are especially vulnerable to ocean acidification and rising temperatures. Image: Barcroft Media/Getty

Kilwa Kisani, Tanzania
The ancient ruins of Kilwa Kisani in Tanzania are vulnerable to increased storm surges related to rising sea levels. The once-great city is home to the Great Mosque and palace of Husuni Kubwa, built largely of coral and limestone mortar, and is at risk of damage from flooding, erosion and coastal storms.  Image: Nigel Pavitt/AWL Images RM/Getty

Easter Island
Rapa Nui National Park, better known as Easter Island, in Chile is at risk from rising sea levels and erosion, while higher waves could eventually topple the island's iconic stone heads. Though remote, the island receives 60,000 visitors each year, and four of the island's sites most reliant upon tourism are also classified as the most threatened by wave damage.  Image: Marko Stavric/Flickr RF/Getty

Huascarán National Park, Peru
Shrinking glaciers in Peru's Huascarán National Park have put the local water system, which a growing population depends on, at risk. The Huascarán is the country's highest peak, and the park is also home to 135 species of birds and diverse plant life. A popular tourist destination, the park is threatened by melting glaciers and rising temperatures which could eventually cause avalanches and flooding.  Image: Stockphoto24/Getty

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda
The mountain gorillas in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park are becoming increasingly susceptible to disease as stresses associated with climate change and an increase in tourism have been linked to the transmission of diseases from humans to gorillas. Image: ullstein bild/Getty