Australia’s prosperity can only be guaranteed if the global community gets on top of the drivers of climate change, according to the country’s new chief scientist.
Tony Haymet said the health of the ocean – and by extension, fisheries, farms and communities – depended on slowing and eventually decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.
“As a planet, we are still far from actually reducing annual emissions,” said Haymet, a renowned oceanographer, chemist and entrepreneur. “Last year, the Northern Hemisphere measured the largest year-on-year increase in the growth of emissions since measurements began.
“As Australia’s chief scientist, I’ll be emphasising the importance of measurements, data and facts. My role is to support the scientists out on the farms, the deserts and oceans – it’s measuring what’s happening to our land, water and atmosphere.”
Haymet started what he called “the role of a lifetime” on 28 January, as Australia sweltered from nationwide heatwaves that had pushed temperatures above 40°C in some capitals and 46°C in the outback. A fortnight earlier, the World Meteorological Organisation had confirmed 2024 as the warmest year on record.
As a researcher, Haymet’s specialties have included Antarctic fish antifreeze proteins, liquid crystals and the soccer ball-shaped carbon molecule buckminsterfullerene. He has also focused on strategic research planning, partnerships and safety issues, especially in field and laboratory work.
His résumé includes stints at Harvard University, the universities of Houston, Sydney and Utah, and the University of California, Berkeley. In 2003 he joined Australian science agency Csiro as chief of marine research, and later marine and atmospheric research.
In 2006, he was appointed 10th director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego and served as the university’s vice-chancellor for marine sciences. While there, he co-founded a company that manufactures underwater drones specialising in chemical and physical measurements of the world’s oceans.
He has served on the Oceans Council of the World Economic Forum, the Antarctic Science Foundation and the Australian government’s Marine and Coastal Committee, among other bodies. His office said he had resigned all board and working group roles to focus on his new position.
Advice on how universities can contribute to achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals
Haymet “will make an exceptional chief scientist”, said industry minister Ed Husic. “With a scientific background spanning several disciplines, along with the commercial runs on the board, Tony has lived and breathed the value of scientific collaboration.”
“He will play a vital role in helping the country adapt to a changing climate while also leveraging the opportunities of technology and innovation to build the industries of the future,” said Ryan Winn, chief executive of Science and Technology Australia.
