Paul E. Hardisty in-conversation with Peter Hannam

In the ongoing climate wars, the Great Barrier Reef has become a symbol of everything that we have to lose from global warming. For years, reports of the world-famous coral being irreversibly bleached have fuelled an ideological battle between those fighting to stop the damage and those who insist the danger is overblown. Paul Hardisty found himself in the middle of this fight during his six years as CEO of the Australian Institute of Marine Science. In this fascinating, candid and urgent book, he dives into the history of the reef and cuts through the rhetoric to chart the circumstances and acceleration of its decline, as well as the determined efforts to save it. In Hot Water is a crucial look inside the battle to save one of Australia's greatest treasures, describing what must be done to preserve it, and what is at risk if we fail to do so.

Our event space is wheelchair accessible via a stair lift. Please contact events@betterread.com.au with any additional access requirements and/or questions.

Paul E Hardisty was CEO of the Australian Institute for Marine Science from 2017 to 2023. He is the author of several peer-reviewed journal articles, two textbooks on environmental sustainability and six novels, the most recent of which, The Forcing, imagines a near future affected by climate change.

Peter Hannam is Guardian Australia's economics correspondent, and was previously the environmental editor for the Sydney Morning Herald.