Jim Salinger

Michael Jim Salinger is an Auckland-based climate change scientist who formerly worked for the Crown Research Institute National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).

He was a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change^[1] which was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2007^[2] "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change".^[3]

From 2006 to 2010, Salinger was President of the Commission for Agricultural Meteorology at the World Meteorological Organization.^[4]

On 23 April 2009, Salinger was dismissed by NIWA,^[5] ostensibly for breaching NIWA's media policy.^[6] Salinger had represented NIWA to the public and media for many years and the dismissal caused a 'wide public outcry' according to Television New Zealand.^[7] The Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Science described the incident as a 'national embarrassment'.^[8]

In late May 2009, Salinger stated that mediation with NIWA over the dismissal had failed and that he would be lodging a claim with the Employment Relations Authority.^[9] On 19 October 2009, the Employment Relations Authority in Auckland began a hearing into Salinger's dismissal;^[10] during the hearing it emerged the Salinger has suffered from depression.^[11] In December 2009, the Employment Relations Authority upheld Salinger's dismissal.^[12]

In 2012, Salinger was Lorry Lokey Visiting Professor at Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.^[13]

References