Scientist/engineer was head of the Australian Institute of Marine Science for six years until last year. He is also a novelist and his writing skills shine in his landmark book, In Hot Water: Inside the Battle to Save the Great Barrier Reef. Covering his tenure at the helm of one of the premier science establishments working to save the world’s coral reefs, In Hot Water is a wonderfully choreographed account of what AIMS does, of the beleaguered history of the Reef, of the scarcely believable recent “climate wars” around the Reef, of the desperate straits the Reef is in, and of the last-ditch efforts being expended to save something of them. A raw heartfelt passion blazes forth from the pages, yet the calibrated, honest prose knits together something memorable. This is a hymn to the Great Barrier Reef (and other coral reefs), it is a call to action, and it is a raging funeral service. The coral reefs of the world needed a voice. Now they have one.
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