{"id":58384,"date":"2021-07-27T08:00:12","date_gmt":"2021-07-27T12:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=58384"},"modified":"2021-07-26T23:29:50","modified_gmt":"2021-07-27T03:29:50","slug":"australia-badly-needs-earth-science-skills-but-universities-are-cutting-the-supply","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/australia-badly-needs-earth-science-skills-but-universities-are-cutting-the-supply\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia badly needs earth science skills, but universities are cutting the supply"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Earth science is vital to Australia\u2019s economic and environmental future but we are dramatically decreasing our earth science capability. Earth scientists work not only in mining and mineral exploration (which contribute\u00a011% of Australia\u2019s GDP<\/a>) but also in fields such as environmental science, groundwater monitoring for the agricultural and environmental sectors, geotechnical work for the construction industry, and\u00a0satellite remote sensing<\/a>. These skills will be increasingly important to meet the challenges of climate change, particularly as renewable energy sources require\u00a0new discoveries of minerals<\/a>\u00a0for batteries, electric cars and wind turbines.<\/p>\n

Already in short supply, geologists, geophysicists and earth science technicians are on the\u00a0skilled occupation list<\/a>\u00a0for immigration. Despite this need, Australian universities have recently made huge cuts to earth science teaching. In the past year, the\u00a0University of Newcastle<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Macquarie University<\/a>\u00a0have closed entire earth science departments.<\/p>\n

Earth science is vital to Australia\u2019s economic and environmental future but we are dramatically decreasing our earth science capability. Earth scientists work not only in mining and mineral exploration (which contribute\u00a011% of Australia\u2019s GDP<\/a>) but also in fields such as environmental science, groundwater monitoring for the agricultural and environmental sectors, geotechnical work for the construction industry, and\u00a0satellite remote sensing<\/a>. These skills will be increasingly important to meet the challenges of climate change, particularly as renewable energy sources require\u00a0new discoveries of minerals<\/a>\u00a0for batteries, electric cars and wind turbines.<\/p>\n

Already in short supply, geologists, geophysicists and earth science technicians are on the\u00a0skilled occupation list<\/a>\u00a0for immigration. Despite this need, Australian universities have recently made huge cuts to earth science teaching. In the past year, the\u00a0University of Newcastle<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Macquarie University<\/a>\u00a0have closed entire earth science departments.<\/p>\n

Earth science jobs have also been lost at other universities including\u00a0ANU<\/a>,\u00a0UNSW<\/a>,\u00a0Tasmania<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Melbourne<\/a>. Almost every university in the eastern states has cut undergraduate courses in earth sciences.<\/p>\n

Federal government policies bear significant responsibility for this loss of earth science capability. The\u00a0lack of JobKeeper support<\/a>\u00a0for universities during the pandemic has been widely discussed, but the unhelpful policies run much deeper.<\/p>\n

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Universities dealt dud hand in JobKeeper funding lottery: Garnaut
\n….and Geosciences in particular… https:\/\/t.co\/2Fp2g4Npeh<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Bruce Schaefer (@brucefschaefer) March 25, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n