Dr Karl Kruszelnicki Calls Australian Government ‘Incredibly Short-Sighted’ About Climate Change
Dr Karl Kruszelnicki has decided to donate what he earned from the intergenerational report campaign. The decision comes after he criticised the Australian government for “betraying his trust.”
Kruszelnicki said that he would donate the money he received from ads to “needy government schools.” He said that it was his fault that he did not realise “the nature of the beast” he had been involved with. He added that he had the belief it would be an independent, bipartisan, non-political document.
Kruszelnicki said that he had agreed to do the ads only because he had been assured that it would not be a political document. "If it turns out to have been fiddled with or subject to political interference from one side of politics I would deeply regret playing any part in it whatsoever," Kruszelnicki said, "No way am I endorsing the government's stance on climate change."
Kruszelnicki also said that the Australian government was “incredibly short-sighted” in terms of climate change. He said that he had not read the complete report before accepting the offer to do the ads.
According to the renowned Australian science communicator and populariser, The 2015 Intergenerational Report is “flawed.” The Australian Greens is among other climate change groups which are highly critical of the report released in March. The document apparently fails to cover the long-term costs of climate change or any post-2020 emission reduction goals.
Kruszelnicki, often called as Dr Karl, is the face of a number of ads promoting the Intergenerational Report on radio and television. The ads also appear on social media and in newspapers. However, Kruszelnicki is now critical of the limited focus on the effects of climate change.
The official website of the report features Dr Karl. It says that the 2015 Intergenerational Report provides an insight into some of the challenges Australia will face over the next 40 years and the decisions it needs to make now.
Other people who are a part of the report include football coach Ange Postecoglou, University of Sydney researcher Dr Clio Cresswell, Adelaide Deputy Mayor Houssam Abiad and New South Wales cricketer Lisa Sthalekar.