Crossposted from https://slrpnk.net/post/1266797

The Senate will investigate the Australian Antarctic Division’s plan to cut dozens of crucial climate science projects due to a budget crunch, as revealed by the Guardian earlier this month.

Leaked internal documents revealed the affected programs included studies of record low sea ice, rapidly declining penguin populations due to ecological change and a program that cleans up damage caused by human activity, including oil spills.

One of the cultural changes I would like to see is more emphasis on science, especially on climate science down there, and less prioritisation of infrastructure.

“Australia’s climate science is globally important and the Australian Antarctic program will continue to deliver our priority science initiatives, such as the million-year ice core and the Denman terrestrial campaign,” a spokesperson said.

The terms of reference for the inquiry also include an examination of “the consequences of funding cuts to Australia’s Antarctic program for our country’s geopolitical and strategic international interests”.