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Climate scientist Dr Jim Salinger has been named the 2024 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Te Pou Whakarae o Aotearoa. Photo: Supplied
Dr Jim Salinger has been recognised this week as Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year - Te Pou Whakarae o Aotearoa, for 2024.
Dr Salinger is recognised as one of the first scientists to address global warming, dedicating almost five decades to advancing climate science. He’s currently an adjunct research fellow with the School of Geography, Environmental and Earth Sciences at Victoria University.
Dr Salinger’s studies investigate climate extremes including drought, and documenting the shrinking ice volume in the Southern Alps.
Born in Dunedin, and a Companion of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Dr Salinger has published more than 190 studies and was a lead author on a 2007 Intergovernmental Panel which collectively earned a Nobel Peace Prize.
He’s also been awarded the NZ Science and Technology Medal in 1994, the 2018 World Meteorological Organisation Award, and the 2019 Jubilee Medal in recognition of his lifetime achievements in climate and agricultural science.
The other New Zealander of the Year nominees were fashion designer Kiri Nathan and Chief Women’s Football Officer for FIFA Sarai Bareman.
Dr Jim Salinger spoke to Culture 101's Perlina Lau about what the award means to him, and to share his arts and cultural Fast Favourites.
The award was a huge honour and unexpected, he said.
"It's a huge opportunity that I can use to explain to people the importance of climate change in global warning and the things that we can do.
"It's not the doom and gloom that people think about, but there's lots of opportunities for the planet and humanity to make the future a better place for everyone, from those that are young ... right through to the elderly."
Fortunately, 19th century climate observations taken religiously from all over New Zealand meant his work was underpinned by a foundational climate record. And prominent international scientists had led the way in raising awareness about the growing understanding of the dangers of climate change.
Recently, he is excited at a newly formed intergenerational group of climate ambassadors, created to advocate for positive small changes.
"Small incremental changes, that's the way to tackle it - and we can.
"Things such as conserving energy, and then all the renewable solutions such as solar, winds, geothermal etc. But we can do it!
"[And] not to rush into it and say we have to do everything all at once ... Rome wasn't built in a day, that's how we have to approach it. Small positive change."
Fast Favourites: two movies and a song
A movie buff, Salinger recently enjoyed the film Poor Things starring Emma Stone.
"This is real science fiction, like Arthur C Clarke ... the old science fiction. A lot of things that are called science fiction are just fantasy.
"Emma Stone does a magnificent job of acting ... it's fascinating."
With science again at the fore, he also enjoyed the Oscar-winning biopic Oppenheimer, following the development of the nuclear bomb by scientist and project leader J Robert Oppenheimer.
Photo: UNIVERSAL PICTURES / AFP
"It shows how he was - [director] Christopher Nolan portrays very well how he was conflicted at times."
Salinger's song pick is Bob Dylan's 'The Times They Are A-Changin', "because that's what life is all about."
"Things aren't constant, they change all the time," he says.
"If you look back in time, ten years, 20 years, 30 years, and you don't realise. But that's how we deal with climate change, just small incremental changes."