Dr Jennifer Marohasy writes:
It is difficult when year-after-year a few of us explain that there is no substance to the many and varied – really endless – claims of imminent demise of The Great Barrier, and we are not believed. It is not that we lack evidence, but mostly our facts are considered too tedious … and our explanations are somehow bothersome because they don’t accord with the overwhelming consensus.
Having never wavered, and it is now going-on twenty-years, I was so pleased today to know that the Federal Circuit Court in Brisbane is taking an interest in the detail: that Judge Salvatore Vasta wants to know about the quality assurance of The Great Barrier Reef research.
So far it appears there is no quality assurance. Zip. Zilch. None.
You might as well just make-it-all up, which is what many Australian scientists have being doing for years. As long as their executive summaries/abstracts are in accordance with the zeitgeist that says there is a terrible human-impact for which we must all be sorry, the scientists kept being funded – by the Australian tax payer.
Today, Judge Vasta asked how it could be that James Cook University – a recipient of so many billions of dollars over the years – could leave no stone unturned in its disciplinary process against Peter Ridd, while doing absolutely nothing to address his complaints about the lack of quality assurance of its research.
Not once in court today, or yesterday, was there any defense by the James Cook University Team of “the science” that Peter Ridd has been so critical of. The university is simply arguing that he doesn’t have a right to speak-out.
At one stage, it appeared that James Cook University were going to argue that Peter Ridd was unqualified to have an opinion on biological matters because he is a physicist, but so far, and after two days, James Cook University are not running that argument either. They are simply claiming that the university’s code of conduct prevents its employees from being un-collegial, and specifically Peter Ridd from being so critical of his colleagues and their research.
My IPA colleague Gideon Rozner was in the court today, Day 2, and has filed this report:
Anticipating some attack on Peter Ridd’s credentials, I wrote a blog post explaining how and why a knowledge of physics is so relevant to understanding reef ecosystems:
https://jennifermarohasy.com/2019/03/whatwouldaphysicistknow/
The arguments will continue in court tomorrow/Thursday, 28thMarch at the Harry Gibbs Commonwealth Law Courts Building, 119 North Quay, Brisbane CBD from 10am.
Why is it that Peter Ridd cannot question the views of his colleagues but they can complain of his.
Because he stepped away from the consensus. Very bad thing to do in Australian academia.
As someone in Leah Rimini’s series about leaving Scientology says, the difference between a religion and cult is what happens when you leave.
I was only being snarky before when I brought up the idea that True Green Believers were cultish.
Now, its becoming a rather proveable fact.
I wonder if the federal government will grow some kahunas and sue JCU for the return of the billions it swindled from the Australian taxpayers ?
I notice that when the geographic distribution of corral reefs is discussed, graphics typically show the reefs clustered around the equator. I don,t have any references easily at hand but expect that this paradigm is/will change. For example, a marine protected area was recently declared between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland in an area called the Gully. It is very deep, cold and dark. Fisherman had noted for 3/4 of a decade the proliferation of groundfish in the area. They also noted that it was almost impossible to fish in the area because trawl became hopelessly entangled on the bottom. The fisherman would come home with long, up to several metres (if I recall correctly) tree trunks. They nick named the area the Forest. Only recently have scientists ‘discovered’ that the trees are actually corals. This is a major reason why the area (along with its other biodiversity) was designated as a marine protected area.
Having said all that, I believe that the low hanging coral reefs, shallow and easy to see) have been found but that extensive deep sea corrals are everywhere waiting to be found. As an afterthought, I was told be fisherman that the multinational fishing companies set out to solve the fishing problem in this area. They fastened massive chains across the mouths of the dragger nets, than set out and dragged back and forth across the reef until they pounded it flat. Thus was solved the problem of catching fishing gear in the area of the Trees.
I have visited an ancient, now dead coral reef and it is indeed distressing. To witness the devastation and corruption of this once thriving cradle of life is enough to break anyone’s spirit. I think they call it Florida now.
That’s due to Sea Level decline , right ?
But consider it CO2 sequestered for the ages .