Scientific knowledge and research underpin our whole existence. From the chemistry of the universe to the physics of artificial intelligence. From the biodiversity of the environment to the practice of sustainable farming.

The Tasmanian Minister for Business, Industry and Resources, Eric Abetz, when referring to the salmon farming industry, has told us that he and his government always rely on the science. He has repeated these words both in parliament and in the media.

Science with respect to farmed salmon includes the care of the fish, the nutrition they need and the diseases that may affect the species. But science also understands and acknowledges the effect of the salmon industry on the ecology of the environment, the elimination of waste material that may contaminate the ocean and put other sea creatures at risk.

Minister Eric Abetz says he will listen to scientists and the Chief Veterinary Officer who will guide his government in ensuring the incident that resulted in a massive rate of mortality in the salmon farming industry can be avoided in the future.

But hang on a minute. There is a wealth of published scientific research providing information on climate change. But Minister Eric Abetz and his government do not appear to be listening to scientists and following their guidance in managing the climate change crisis and the forests of Tasmania. Or they would not be planning to expand the logging of native forests.

The Tasmanian government intends to open up almost 10,000 hectares of previously protected native forest for logging. The government has identified five ‘preferred’ parcels of Future Potential Production Forest it wants to transfer into another classification, which would allow them to be logged at short notice. This will contribute to the logging, burning and wood chipping of Tasmania’s native forests that is already destroying critical habitats for endangered wildlife species and contributing to CO2 emissions.

The blatant double standards of the Minister and his government, relying on science to solve the problems of the fish industry but denying the science of climate change and the forestry industry, leave our mouths hanging open in disbelief.

But should we be surprised at this?

In 2009 when Eric Abetz was a Liberal Senate frontbencher, he said that his views about climate change were still being formulated and he described himself as a climate change ‘agnostic’.

Since then, he has had fifteen years to read, listen and learn, to become a ‘gnostic’, someone who does know. Is that too much to ask of an educated politician?

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established by the United Nations and the World Meteorological Organization in 1988 to provide governments and ministers with scientific knowledge about climate change. Thousands of scientists from around the world, including Australian scientists, contribute to the IPCC reports. They agree that global warming is caused mainly by human activity and that CO2 and other gas emissions from fossil fuels, coal, oil and gas, are the dominant cause of global warming.

Trees and forests are vital. Photosynthesis is the process by which trees and all green plants convert carbon dioxide and water into energy-rich organic compounds that they survive on. The IPCC reports tell us by storing carbon in branches, leaves, trunks, roots and in the soil, plants are of immeasurable value in climate change mitigation. Simultaneously, photosynthesis releases oxygen into the atmosphere for all animals, including humans, to survive.

At the UN Climate Change conference in Glasgow in 2021, Australia was among 145 countries that reaffirmed their commitment to sustainable management and restoration of forests. To halt and reverse forest loss. Since then, the Western Australian and Victorian Governments have announced an end to native forest logging.

The Australia Institute tells us that Tasmania’s native forests are recognised for their unique species and their conservation value. The trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and the forests are some of the most carbon-dense forests on the planet. However, emissions from logging those native forests have been estimated at 4.65 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year, making it the highest emitting sector in the Tasmanian economy.

Minister Eric Abetz, as well as acknowledging the science of fish, we ask you to acknowledge the science of climate change and the critical role of forests in climate mitigation.

For the sake of the planet, biodiversity, all the wild creatures and future generations including our precious grandchildren, we ask you to follow the example of WA and Victoria and phase out native logging altogether.

Dr Janet Berry is a veterinarian, has worked in Scotland and Queensland and now lives on a farm in Tasmania where regenerative agriculture is practised. She is a volunteer with Veterinarians for Climate Action, helping to put pressure on governments to act on climate change.