Essay by Eric Worrall

“… We empower scientists and engineers to pursue research that is too speculative, too hard, or too interdisciplinary to pursue elsewhere …”

Wanted: An early-warning system for the end of the world

Some experts believe we could hit catastrophic climate ‘tipping points’ in a matter of years. The U.K. government, with a bit of help from Dominic Cummings, is trying to prepare.

DECEMBER 30, 2024 4:21 AM CET
BY CHARLIE COOPER

LONDON — The U.K., along with the rest of the world, may be on the brink of climate disaster.

If the worst happens, Whitehall is going to want a little bit of warning. 

So it is turning to scientific experts for help — and to a government-backed center for innovative research which also happens to be the legacy left by one of the most controversial figures in recent U.K. political history.

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The £81 million, multi-year scheme could deploy robots — dubbed WALL-E by some experts, in honor of Pixar’s robotic environmental hero — to monitor the impact of climate change in the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic. The cash would also be used for supercomputer models of historic climate data.

It will all be led by the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), an independent body funded by the government …

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Read more: https://www.politico.eu/article/wanted-climate-early-warning-system-for-the-end-of-the-world/

From the ARIA website;

From climate change to AI, society faces challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science + technology.

Who we are

Created by an Act of Parliament, and sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, ARIA funds breakthrough R&D in underexplored areas to catalyse new paths to prosperity for the UK and the world. 

What we do

We empower scientists and engineers to pursue research that is too speculative, too hard, or too interdisciplinary to pursue elsewhere. ARIA’s programmes are shaped and led by our Programme Directors, scientific and technical leaders with deep expertise and a focused, creative vision for how technology can enable a better future.

…

Read more: https://www.aria.org.uk/about-aria

Imagine a scientific body dedicated to making climate science even more speculative.

Normally I would be in favour of a major pure research initiative. Sometimes giving scientists a big handful of money and instructions to explore the road less travelled can produce genuinely useful results. Who could have guessed back in the early 1900s that all that unworldly Einstein theoretical physics would lead to nuclear power, modern computers and near perfect GPS systems.

But more often giving people a big handful of money without clear direction on what to do with it leads to pointless waste.

In my opinion this new ARIA body sadly seems hopelessly compromised. The brief appears to be heavily biased towards exploring the non-existent climate crisis. But let’s be optimistic – there is always a possibility someone who receives money from this new government body will produce research of genuine value.