Farrer medallist calls for rational climate change debate
From the May 2008 edition of Agriculture Today.
The 2008 Farrer Memorial Medal winner, Dr Phil Cocks, thinks it hardly matters whether climate change is human induced or not - humanity has a huge job ahead.
Dr Cocks says that whilst there are still some who do not believe climate change is a genuine phenomenon, he sees that band dwindling.
"The science very clearly points towards the need for us all - nations, businesses and individuals - to do as much as possible to avoid the worst consequences of a changing planet."
An agricultural scientist, Dr Cocks has called for a more rational debate on climate change in Australia.
As part of his acceptance speech, Dr Cocks said Australia, like many other countries, has mostly ignored the advice of scientists when it came to climate change because of its vested interest in fossil fuels.
"This has come about by big business interest groups, mainly energy and mining, having access to our major political parties.
"Because of this, public debate has been bypassed and scientific advice largely discredited," Dr Cocks said.
"Clearly we need a more rational, better informed and non-secret debate on the subject - one that overcomes weaknesses in the democratic process."
He told Agriculture Today he sheeted failings in the process home to the former Federal government and says it’s too soon for the new administration to have established a track record on which it can be assessed.
Dr Cocks has suggested the creation of a democratic world body with the ability to decide on issues that affect the whole world, through the formulation of international laws and the creation of a court to enforce them.
"A global price on carbon and carbon tax fixed by an international body and changes to the rules of the World Trade Organisation to prevent corporations moving offshore to avoid national regulations are other policy initiatives, which if implemented, would represent the sentiment of the peoples of the world, not just those with military and economic power," Dr Cocks said.
The Farrer Memorial Medal is awarded annually to provide encouragement and inspiration in agricultural science in the memory of plant breeder, William James Farrer.
Recipient Dr Cocks, a CEO of the former CRC for the Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity, has made a significant contribution to a wide range of successful agricultural science initiatives in Australia.
He is currently the Thinker-in-residence at the University of Western Australia (UWA) Albany Foundation and was previously a Professor of Agriculture at the Plant Sciences Group based at UWA.
Also in this edition
Overcoming stubble retention barriers: Constraints to wholesale adoption of stubble retention.
