In response to an article in The Australian on 10th February 2020 entitled ‘Security risk in China marine project’, CSIRO has provided the following.
I am writing in response to the article ‘Security risk in China marine project’ published on 10 February – to convey my disappointment in such a highly speculative and misleading piece.
To imply the Centre for Southern Hemisphere Oceans Research (CSHOR) poses a national security risk, without any supporting claims of fact, is alarmist and irresponsible reporting. With all CSHOR research outcomes available in the public domain, calls for greater transparency about this research are disingenuous.
Climate change is a global challenge and needs deep global collaboration.
CSHOR brings together world-leading researchers from Australia and China to further our understanding of how southern hemisphere oceans influence the climate of our region and the rest of the globe. CSHOR is governed by independent science leaders and is contributing to Australian, Chinese and global efforts to effectively anticipate and adapt to climate change.
The CSIRO scientist singled out in your article with unfounded negative inference, is highly accomplished. He has been instrumental in discovering the scientific evidence linking El Niño and climate change – an important step in our ability to predict droughts in Australia and floods in China.
CSIRO has been successfully partnering with China in excellent research and development for over 40 years and will continue to do so. Through these partnerships and research collaborations, we will continue to deliver great science not only for the benefit of Australia and all Australians, but for millions of people around the globe.
As a national newspaper perhaps The Australian should consider publishing the achievements of Australia’s great scientific endeavours rather than, without evidence, dismantling them.
Dr Larry Marshall
Chief Executive, CSIRO
