'Foolish' CSIRO job cuts will mean Australia unable to provide climate projections to global reports, scientists warn [View all]

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Source: The Guardian

‘Foolish’ CSIRO job cuts will mean Australia unable to provide climate projections to global reports, scientists warn

Exclusive: Science agency is planning to sack a third of the team working on the national climate model, sources say

Adam Morton Climate and environment editor
Tue 19 May 2026 16.00 BST

Job cuts at the national science agency mean Australia will no longer be able to submit climate projections to form part of global reports and will have significantly reduced ability to forecast future damage to the country, leading researchers have warned.

Multiple sources told Guardian Australia that CSIRO planned to sack a third of the team working on the national climate model that provides projections relied on by governments, councils, industry and farmers as they plan for the future.

Senior scientists said it would result in Australia no longer having an international-standard climate model to contribute projections to major assessment reports by the world’s leading climate science body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

CSIRO management is expected to confirm at a staff meeting on Thursday that it is making about 100 scientists redundant as part of a plan announced last November to cut full-time research positions by between 300 and 350. It follows the sacking of 818 support staff last year.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/may/20/csiro-job-cuts-climate-australia-projections-to-global-reports