All the scientists that have penned letters for this site have a sound understanding of Climate Change. Some have spent years designing models to predict changing climate, others, years investigating the implications for animal life. More still have been exploring a range of other topics concerning the causes and implications of a changing climate.
As a minimum, they’ve all achieved a PhD in their area of expertise.
The amount of time it takes to achieve this qualification varies depending on the university and specific focus of study, but for Australia, the process is essentially this:
First, you need to complete an undergraduate degree with a focus on some aspect of science. Biology, maths, physics, medicine etc., whatever strikes your fancy. This degree takes three or four years. Then, depending on the focus of your research, you may need to complete an Honours or Masters course. This is another year or two of study and research.
Next is a PhD, a further three to five years of unique and original research covering new scientific ground. Already we’re getting up to around 8 years of study and research as a minimum.
Many of the researchers that have contributed to this site have continued on to receive the title of Research Fellow, Associate Professor or Professor, this requires many more years of research. These scientists continue to investigate new discoveries to increase their own understanding of their field and publish their findings for their colleagues to learn from and build on.
This is their job, it’s their lives.
Consider Professor Andrew Pitman, Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science. He completed his PhD in 1988, back when everyone was listening to their Walkmans and watching Magnum P.I. He’s been studying climate modeling for over a quarter of a century. He has published over 140 scientific papers on the topic and written about 20 book chapters. Professor Pitman has been studying the climate for a large part of his life. He understands climate change and the models that predict this change.
Then there’s Professor Tony McMichael who sadly passed away earlier this year. His area of expertise was the population health impacts of climate change. His publications include over 300 peer-reviewed papers and 160 book chapters. He understands what impacts climate change will have on humanity.
And Professor Lesley Hughes, she has contributed to and reviewed multiple reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). An Ecologist, she has spent years exploring how a changing climate will affect hundreds of different species. She understands just how dire climate change could be for the planets biodiversity.
These researchers are in a better position than anyone to voice concern over climate change.
We owe it to them to listen.
Click here to see Andrew, Tony and Lesley's letters.
RSS Feed
