Peter Ridd: The Great Barrier Reef has about the same amount of coral as in 1985

The IPA team interview Peter Ridd about the Barrier Reef, coral bleaching, his story, and the state of free speech at universities (it’s non-existent). They discuss how we might reform science (universities are almost a lost cause).

Peter Ridd: Of all the ecosystems in the world, the reef is one that’s best at adapting to climate change.

My jotted notes:

6:00 mins: Bleaching statistics

In 2016, 8% of the reef died, but regeneration is rapid — it can recover in a year. The general rule for corals is the hotter the better. If you want to see the worst corals, go and see Sydney Harbour. There are even corals in Scotland. If it was warmer, there would be more corals. Temperatures for coral go right up to 38C in the red sea and corals are happy with that.

11:00 mins: The story of him starting to speak out in the media

17:00 mins: The replication crisis in modern science

The problem is that there are no consequences when scientists are wrong. There is a drive to publish, and the more the better, but as much as half the research may be wrong, and there are no consequences for that. […]