Great Barrier Reef Scientist Snubs Uni Gagging Order

We will enter a new dark age of unreason if universities are afraid of debate. –– John Roskam, Institute of Public Affairs, 1 February 2018
Most disappointing of all is the way that science – especially the leaders of the world’s science academies – have joined the climate campaign, not just demonizing those who say they are not convinced we face catastrophe, but turning a blind eye to the distortion and corruption of the scientific process itself. –Matt Ridley, Global Warming Policy Foundation, November 2015
Marine scientist Peter Ridd has refused to accept a formal censure and gag order from James Cook University and expanded his Federal Court action to defend academic freedoms and free speech. The university said by expressing concerns about the quality of some reef science, Professor Ridd had not acted in a “collegiate” manner. Ridd said he was determined to speak freely about his treatment. “This is as much a case about free speech as it is about the quality of science,” he said. —Graham Lloyd, The Australian, 1 February 2018

James Cook University is threatening scientific integrity by seeking to censor one of its academic staff members, Professor Peter Ridd, according to John Roskam, the Executive Director of the Institute of Public Affairs. “The university should not be attempting to silence the scientific debate about the impact of climate change.  Professor Ridd is a world expert on the Great Barrier Reef – he has the right and responsibility to interrogate the research evidence which determines how more than a billion dollars of taxpayer’s money will be spent,” said Mr. Roskam. —Institute of Public Affairs, 1 February 2018
The state of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is often used to show that we are facing an imminent crisis from climate change. I argue in this chapter that there is perhaps no ecosystem on Earth better able to cope with rising temperatures. Irrespective of one’s views about the role of carbon dioxide, I will show that the GBR corals are masters of temperature adaptability, and able to cope with the modest warming that has occurred over the last century – and are also so-far unaffected by ocean acidification. There are, however, issues with how GBR science is reported, and a desperate need for some basic quality assurance. –Peter Ridd, The Extraordinary Resilience of Great Barrier Reef Corals, and Problems with Policy Science, Climate Change: The Facts 2017
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