Environmental scientist, engineer, and author Dr. Paul Hardisty captivated the audience at Myall U3A on Friday, October 31, as he unpacked the ecological challenges facing the Great Barrier Reef. Originally from Canada and now residing in Perth, Dr. Hardisty shared insights from his extensive career, which spans continents and disciplines, and his passion for writing, nurtured by his parents.
“Write what you know, and what you really care about,” Dr. Hardisty advised, echoing sentiments often attributed to literary giants Mark Twain and Ernest Hemingway. Reflecting on his journey, he recounted, “When I was 18, I left my engineering course to write, but realised all too soon that an 18-year-old knows nothing, not even what he truly cares about.”
From Engineering to Environmental Advocacy
Dr. Hardisty’s upbringing along the coast near Vancouver instilled in him a deep, albeit initially unrealized, passion for the natural world. This passion led him back to engineering, after which he embarked on a career consulting on environmental issues across Africa, South America, and the Middle East.
His work in Yemen, conducting studies for NGOs like the United Nations and the World Bank, exposed him to the harsh realities of environmental degradation. “I suffered a massive crisis of conscience, and became fascinated with the bigger picture, on the world policy level,” he explained.
“With UN projections that by 2100 Earth will have 10 billion people, most of them within Asia and Africa, we have a ‘trilemma’ of energy, food, and water – a lot more will be needed of all three.”
Literary Ventures and Scientific Leadership
In 2010, Dr. Hardisty published his first book, a non-fiction textbook dense with mathematics, which he humorously noted was not widely read. However, it was his 2015 fictional thriller, “The Abrupt Physics of Dying,” inspired by his experiences in Yemen, that gained significant acclaim and was shortlisted for literary prizes.
“I realised that in fiction you can tell the real truth, while non-fiction has serious constraints,” he remarked, highlighting the power of storytelling in conveying complex truths.
Dr. Hardisty’s journey eventually led him to Australia in 2016, where he joined the CSIRO and later became the CEO of the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). His focus was on the health and coral bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef, a subject close to his heart.
“2016-17 saw unprecedented coral bleaching. Corals are symbiotic with algae called ‘zooxanthellae’, which are what gives coral its colour. Sustained rises in water temperature can kill off the zooxanthellae, causing coral bleaching, but they can come back – unless it lasts too long, then the symbiotic relationship is unrecoverable.”
The Political and Environmental Landscape
Dr. Hardisty did not shy away from addressing the contentious political landscape surrounding climate science. “The scientific data is unequivocal: decade on decade, the world is getting warmer, but it has since become highly politicised, and ‘reef science’ has been attacked and actively discredited from multiple angles for political reasons,” he stated.
In a startling revelation, Dr. Hardisty noted that despite the establishment of the Great Barrier Reef National Park, several mining and oil-drilling licenses remain active. “It takes decades to change course, and if we maintain ‘business as usual’, by 2060 the coral will all be dead,” he warned.
“Thirty per cent of what we need to do is individual effort, but 70 percent needs collective action by governments, NGOs, and corporations. The one thing the coming disaster wants is your acquiescence.”
Dr. Hardisty’s talk at Myall U3A underscored the urgent need for both individual and collective action to address the environmental challenges facing the Great Barrier Reef and beyond. His insights serve as a sobering reminder of the delicate balance required to sustain our planet’s ecosystems amidst growing global demands.
