Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) shared a news article ‘Cards, cocktails in yurts and community chats help inspire climate action’ featuring our own Prof Gretta Pecl after her keynote presenting at the 12th International Conference & Workshop on Lobster (and Crab) Biology and Management (ICWL) in Western Australia last week (22-27th Oct 2023).
Her talk, and the article, discuss the challenges of talking about climate change and action with the public.
Read the article here.
Yesterday the Marine Ecosystem Assessment for the Southern Ocean: Summary for Policymakers (MEASO) was launched – co-convened by Dr Andrew Constable, Dr Jess Melbourne-Thomas and Dr Monica Muelbert. This is the first comprehensive interdisciplinary assessment of ecosystem status and trends. It has been a five year initiative with over 200 contributing authors from 19 countries (including many contributors from CMS).
Download report here: https://zenodo.org/records/8359585
See associated Conversation article here: https://theconversation.com/more-than-200-scientists-from-19-countries-want-to-tell-us-the-southern-ocean-is-in-trouble-215529
The countdown is on! A new book on "Brand Antarctica" by CMS member Dr Hanne Nielsen is coming out on 1 December (pre-order available)! It speaks to some of the key CMS themes such as sustainability and human interactions with the environment.
See book here: https://www.combinedacademic.co.uk/9781496221216/brand-antarctica/
Or here: https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9781496221216/
Blurb:
"Antarctica is, and has always been, very much “for sale.” Whales, seals, and ice have all been marketed as valuable commodities, but so have the stories of explorers. The modern media industry developed in parallel with land-based Antarctic exploration, and early expedition leaders needed publicity to generate support for their endeavors. Their lectures, narratives, photographs, and films were essentially advertisements for their adventures. At the same time, popular media began to use the newly encountered continent to draw attention to commercial products. These advertisements both trace the commercialization of Antarctica and reveal how commercial settings have shaped the dominant imaginaries of the place.
By contextualizing and analyzing Antarctic advertisements from the late nineteenth century to the present, Brand Antarctica identifies five key framings of the South Polar continent: a place for heroes, a place of extremity, a place of purity, a place to protect, and a place that transforms. Demonstrating how these conceptual framings of Antarctica in turn circulate through our culture, Hanne Elliot Fønss Nielsen challenges common assumptions about Antarctica’s past and present, encouraging readers to rethink their own relationship with the Far South."
The CMS episode for That's What I Call Science podcast (co-hosted by CMS member Olly Dove) is now available to listen.
In this episode, hear from a number of CMS Showcase (11th August 2023) attendees about their experience of the day and key messages they took away.
Listen here: https://thatsscience.org/2023/10/08/episode-214-centre-for-marine-socioecology-showcase/
CMS would like to extend a huge congratulation to CMS member Dr Alistair Hobday (CSIRO) on becoming a new Australian Academy of Technological Science & Engineering (ATSE) Fellow, elected by the Fellowship on the basis of excellence, accomplishment, and fit with a modern and future-facing academy!
Overseeing a diverse research portfolio as the research director for Sustainable Marine Futures, Dr Alistair Hobday is a multi-disciplinary ‘big thinker’. He is a world-renowned marine scientist whose research focuses on building ocean resilience under climate change.
Alistair developed a classification system for marine heatwaves and led the first marine heatwave forecasts for Australia now being used to prepare for the upcoming summer. His climate adaptation innovations span coral reef conservation to shy albatross breeding enhancement.
Alistair has also made important advancements in sustainable fisheries management. His approach to assessing ecological risks from fishing is used in more than 15 countries worldwide and by international bodies such as the Marine Stewardship Council. He has also developed seasonal ocean forecasts for fisheries and aquaculture, already deployed in the bluefin tuna fishery.
See website: https://www.atse.org.au/our-fellows/2023-new-fellows/alistair-hobday-ftse/
CMS member Emma Hamasaki was recently interviewed about That's What I Call Science (TWICS) podcast, which she co-hosts with CMS student Olly Dove.
KEY POINTS
CMS extend a huge congratulations to the That’s What I Call Science team who won a Eureka award last for science outreach. The award recognised the significant impact of the Tassie based volunteer-run radio show and podcast on Edge Radio.
See Eureka Prize winners here: https://australian.museum/get-involved/eureka-prizes/2023-eureka-prize-winners/
TWICS Eureka Prize entry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7l4OvLtzoQ
CMS Director Prof Gretta Pecl signs open letter to Australian Government: ‘Australia must accelerate climate action, not climate annihilation’, published in New York Times. The letter urges Australia to follow the advice of the United Nations, the International Energy Agency (IEA), and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and prevent any further new fossil fuel developments.
More details: https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/australias-fossil-fuel-hypocrisy-called-out-on-the-world-stage/
Read the open letter here: https://australiainstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Scientist-Experts-Open-Letter-The-Australia-Institute.pdf
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ voices and engagement in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: Advice to inform the Australian Government towards Assessment Report 7
An independent report to the Australian Government
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have lived in Australia for thousands of generations and through changes in the climate. Knowledges of how to manage Country (traditional estate) to ensure ecosystem health, food sources, and sustainability of Peoples through these changes have been passed down through Traditional methods. Much of these Indigenous Knowledges provide insights on how to adapt to the changes occurring now and projected into the future under the more rapid and human-induced climate change.
Until the most recent IPCC Assessment Report (AR6; IPCC, 2022), minimal inclusion of Indigenous data had occurred. Research was commissioned by the Australian Government ahead of the IPCC Assessment Report 7 planning discussions in August 2023, to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledges and perspectives are directly presented by First Nations scholars and Knowledge holders themselves.
To guide the approach, a research team was formed comprising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scholars, IPCC Lead Authors, and researchers with skills in cultural competency. Adjunct Professor Sandra Creamer AM (Waanyi Kalkadoon, The University of Queensland), Dr Vinnitta Mosby (Meriam Nation, Torres Strait, James Cook University), Associate Professor Brad Moggridge (Kamilaroi, University of Canberra) and Lillian Ireland (Melukerdee, legal scholar) are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scholars who bring cultural Knowledges and diverse Country representation to this group. Dr Nina Lansbury (non-Indigenous, The University of Queensland) and Professor Gretta Pecl (non-Indigenous, University of Tasmania) are AR6 Lead Authors who worked alongside the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander team.
Read the Executive Summary (PDF, 329.7 KB)
Read the Appendix of ‘Summary for the People: IPCC Assessment Report 6- Australasia’ (PDF, 711 KB)
Cite as: Lansbury, N., Moggridge, B., Creamer, S., Ireland, L., Buckley, L., Evans, G., Milsom, O., Pecl, G., and Mosby, V. (2023), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ voices and engagement in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: Advice to inform the Australian Government towards IPCC Assessment Report 7, An independent report commissioned by the Australian Government (Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water), Canberra.
For further details, contact Dr Nina Lansbury at the School of Public Health, The University of Queensland: n.lansbury@uq.edu.au
Read The Conversation article featuring the report here: ‘Knowledge keeps the fires burning’: how ancient Indigenous wisdom can transform our battle against climate change
CMS Deputy Director Dr Beth Fulton gave a keynote talk at ACSME 2023 (Australian Conference on Science and Mathematics Education), on 30 August 2023. Ever the engaging speaker, Beth highlights the value of maths in a climate-changed world.
Conference theme: The changing climate of science education
Talk title: Highlighting the value of maths in a climate-changed world
Abstract: The world’s oceans are changing rapidly as climate change takes water temperatures to levels that have rarely been seen in the past million years, with the IPCC indicating that if emissions are not reduce then by the end of the century global temperatures will rise to levels not seen for many millions of years. On top of this human use of the ocean is accelerating and diversifying rapidly. Maths lets us create these reconstructions and projections, but also provides a tool for helping people interested in a system explore the potential futures – the possible, plausible, probable and preferable. There are many different kinds of maths that can be used to synthesise the science of climate change and system function, together creating tangible, informative and engaging scenarios. Unfortunately, the Australian public’s numeracy can make sharing the interpretations more difficult. STEM education is critical not only for Australian science to deliver around climate change and ocean use, but also for the public and decision maker’s capacity to use that information.
Conference details: 2023 Australian Conference on Science and Mathematics Education, 30 August – 1 September 2023.
Location: Sandy Bay campus of the University of Tasmania and online.
The CMS held our annual showcase event in Hobart/Nipaluna on 11th August 2023, with over 160 people in attendance ranging from our members and students, to government representatives, industry representatives, researchers, and traditional owners and custodians.
The day was structured around a series of stakeholder panels which allowed stakeholders to shape discussion and agendas, as well as short presentation sessions for our interdisciplinary researchers, and Q&A sessions for open dialogue. The day prompted some important discussions, and ignited some important networking/collaboration relationships.
Please view the CMS Showcase 2023 Agenda
Please view the CMS Showcase 2023 Report
We would like to thank all who attended, presented, and supported this event, and we can't wait to host our Showcase event again next year!
