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Science Journalism
WINNER - Crude
Crude Awakening
"Oil is a precious thing...yet every year we burn more and more of what we have less and less of," says Dr Richard Smith in the closing of the compelling ABC documentary Crude. The production fteam of Crude has just won the Australian Government Eureka Prize for Science Journalism.
This prize is part of the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes, the Oscars of Australian science. Coveted among science prizes, the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes were announced at a glittering event in Sydney on 19 August attended by a ‘who's who' of Australian science, government, academia and industry.
Crude charts the formation of the world's oil reserves, from prehistoric times to recent discoveries, and our modern insatiable desire for oil. Crude makes two dire and compelling warnings: that we will soon run out of the oil on which we have come to rely; and that the greenhouse conditions which allowed the oil to form 160 million years ago are set to return, as the burning of oil releases long sequestered CO2 into the atmosphere.
"Dr Smith, who played an extraordinary role as director, writer, producer and presenter of the program, puts into perspective the impact oil has in our daily lives and enlarges our understanding of how we deplete such a precious resource," says Australian Museum Director, Frank Howarth. "He points to the real threat of global warming and the role of oil in this impending disaster."
Crude was conceived by Dr Smith from his original research. His talents were further utilised during production as cameraman (filming underwater in a poisonous lake and looking into an active volcano), sound recordist, and dinosaur stand-in!
To bring this topic to life, the documentary was filmed in 11 countries across five continents, and uses sophisticated 3D animation.
Crude starts in the Jurassic period when dinosaurs roamed the earth. It is here that tiny phytoplankton on the ocean surface begin their journey to the bottom of the sea where they become entombed, along with the CO2 they had removed from the atmosphere during photosynthesis.
This was the time of super greenhouse climates, when CO2 levels were four to five times greater than they are today. It was so warm there were no ice caps and you could swim at the South Pole. The oceans were dying from lack of oxygen. These conditions allowed for the gradual conversion of living matter to oil.
After this introduction, Crude follows our brief - in geological terms - addiction to this age-old oil.
We first used oil (kerosene) to replace whale oil for lighting. When electricity and light bulbs took over, the internal combustion engine created a new market for oil. The automobile industry began to soak up oil (gasoline) and, since those early days, oil has become the ‘fuel of choice' to move everything, from cars to planes to ships. As Crude states, ‘from an ancient ocean to a tailpipe near you."
And it's not just transport. Crude shows the modern petrochemical industry accounts for 10% of our oil consumption; from plastics to paints; from pesticides to painkillers. Crude claims we each consume three gallons (nearly fourteen litres) of oil a day, in food, products and travel. "We live our lives bathed in oil...Some drip of oil has entered into almost everything we do."
While we have been seduced by the convenience of oil, geological and mining experts interviewed on the program contend that oil production has already peaked and that we face a future of decreasing supplies, making oil increasingly expensive. They tell us there are few corners of the world left to look for new oil supplies.
In releasing oil from its ancient resting place, Crude says we have let the genie "out of the bottle and into the barrel". When oil is used to fuel industry and travel, the CO2 dormant for millions of years is let loose to wreak havoc on our climate.
Crude states we are on track to reach the same CO2 levels of the super greenhouse period in just 100 years. Dr Smith asks, in the final moments of Crude, "Are we mining the aftermath of past climate catastrophes simply to engineer our own?"
The $10,000 Australian Government Eureka Prize for Science Journalism is awarded to an individual or group for outstanding science journalism first published or broadcast during the period May 2007 - May 2008. The prize is sponsored by the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research through the Science Connections Program (SCOPE) of his Department.
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Sponsor
The Australian Government Eureka Prize for Science Journalism is sponsored by Australian Government Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.
Description
The Australian Government Eureka Prize for Science Journalism is awarded to an Australian journalist(s) or communicator(s) whose work is assessed as having most effectively communicated scientific and/or technological issues to the public.
These issues include the natural, physical or applied sciences (including agricultural sciences), engineering, information technology, technological innovation, design and development, health science issues, issues in science policy as well as work that presents the social and/or economic consequences of science and technology.
prize
$10,000
Purpose
The Australian Government Eureka Prize for Science Journalism is designed to encourage the continuing flow of quality information to the public about developments in science that impact on our lives.
The pace of change and growth in new knowledge, including reassessments of what was previously accepted, is something the community can better understand if it is properly informed about such developments.
The prize is also intended to encourage the continuing quality of science journalism in Australia, and to encourage editorial support for quality science journalism in our newspapers, news, current affairs programmes and magazines.
Judging Criteria
Judging criteria:
Newsworthiness - timely work that adds to or encourages debate on current issues
Impact - work is noteworthy for its positive effect or influence in the community
Scientific accuracy - work is factually correct
Effectiveness - work makes a balanced and significant contribution to greater public understanding and appreciation of contemporary issues or developments in science
Creativity in communicating concepts and ideas - work engenders interest by using creative and clear communication
Appropriateness of content - material is pitched at the right level in terms of complexity and technical issues for the audience involved; and
Adherence to ethical standards - work adheres to the highest standard of investigative journalism - including the MEAA Code of Ethics.
The judges will give particular emphasis to work that informs and influences public and/or corporate attitudes to science or to significant issues in science.
Conditions of entry
The prize is open to individuals or groups.
Work entered in this prize must have been:
• undertaken by an Australian citizen(s) or Australian resident(s)
• published or broadcast for the first time in the Australian media within 12 months prior to the close of entries.
Entrants are required to declare and disclose any subsequent corrections or challenges to the accuracy of an entry, or claims of plagiarism or defamation against the work submitted.
The following are NOT eligible for this prize:
• work involving editing by the entrant
• books
• material that has appeared only on the internet, either in websites or emails (online journalistic pieces may, however, be included as part of a broader portfolio entry).
Online entry forms close 5pm AEST Friday 2 May 2008. Hard copy entries will not be considered until and unless an online entry form has been completed.
Completed entries must be received by the Australian Museum no later than 5pm AEST on Friday 9 May 2008. Entries delivered to the Australian Museum after this time will not be considered.
Entries with insufficient sets of documentation will not be considered. Submitted material will not be returned.
Work entered for this prize may not be entered/nominated for another Australian Museum Eureka Prize.
The deliberations of the judging panel remain confidential. All recommendations and decisions taken are binding and final and no correspondence will be entered into on such matters. The judges reserve the right not to award a Prize in any given year if, in their view, the quality of entries is insufficiently meritorious.
Information provided by the entrant(s) in relation to the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes (including photos), may be used by the Australian Museum for promotional/publicity purposes.
Personal information provided in connection with the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes will be used only by the Australian Museum and only in connection with the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.
How to enter
1. Complete an online entry form
Complete the online entry form by 5pm AEST on Friday 2 May 2008. Make sure you print out a copy.
2. Prepare five (5) sets of the entry, with each set consisting of:
1. a printed copy of the online entry form as submitted
2. a statement of 200 words describing the circumstances behind the entry, eg. The origin of the idea, effort in making it a reality, difficulties encountered, or any other matter considered by the entrant to be relevant to its consideration by the judges
3. the relevant material being entered (not necessarily originals). Television entries should be submitted in CD or DVD format.
2. Submit the entry
Submit five (5) complete and separate sets of the entry clipped together (not bound). Please do NOT bother with elaborate presentation when submitting the entry. This will be removed before material is sent to judges. The five (5) sets of the entry should be sent to:
Eureka Prize for Science Journalism
Australian Museum
6 College Street
SYDNEY NSW 2010
3. DEADLINE for submission of entries
The five (5) sets of the entry must be received at the Australian Museum by 5pm AEST on Friday 9 May 2008. Entries received after this time will not be considered.
