Growing up in a small New Zealand farming town, where everything revolved around sport, church and the land, environmental concerns meant fuel prices and regulations—not climate change. In that community, climate change was barely discussed; when it came up, it was usually a joke or in dismissive context. Jacob Martin vividly recalls a farmer driving his tractor up the steps of parliament to protest emissions taxes.
Today, Martin is a materials scientist and nanotechnologist at Curtin University in Perth, working on advanced carbon materials for batteries and hydrogen storage. A trained chemist, physicist and chemical engineer who completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2020, he became a Research Fellow at the Cambridge Centre for Carbon Reduction in Chemical Technology in Singapore before taking up a Forrest Fellowship at Curtin. His journey from rural scepticism to climate research offers a window into how minds change on one of Australia's most divisive issues.
The turning point came when Martin challenged a climate scientist during a presentation, raising the common argument that carbon dioxide historically lags behind temperature—implying it cannot cause warming. The scientist listened without dismissing him and then addressed his argument directly. She explained that in natural cycles, carbon dioxide does follow temperature, but today carbon dioxide is rising before temperature. That reversal, she said, is evidence of human influence.
After the talk, she pointed Martin to resources from a not-for-profit organisation answering common climate science questions with peer-reviewed research. For the first time, Martin encountered a debate where he was invited to assess evidence himself. At university, he was mentored by cancer researcher and theologian Graeme Finlay, who introduced him to the work of Sir John Houghton, a founding member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
These mentors helped Martin see that faith and science did not conflict; his faith supported his calling to science. Climate change stopped being only a scientific question and became a moral one. The past 10,000 years of climate stability enabled human flourishing, and that stability is breaking down. This breakdown, he came to believe, will most affect vulnerable ecosystems and communities with the least resources and infrastructure.
Martin's experience reflects a broader challenge facing rural and regional Australia. Research shows that the environmental, financial, health and social impacts of climate change are of greatest concern to rural residents, though many believe climate change is a natural, cyclical process not caused by human actions. Evidence suggests that uncertainty and lack of trust in government are more prevalent in rural areas than outright denial.
The barriers to engagement in rural communities are real. Growing up in a rural community creates a strong sense that city-based policymakers do not understand the challenges of country life. Major concerns include the financial consequences of extreme events and adequate communication of climate change information.
Martin now emphasises the importance of respectful debate. When encountering mistrust or defensiveness about climate, he tries to remember what it felt like to be the one asking questions. If he cares more about winning an argument than about the person he is arguing with, he believes he has missed the point of debate.
His work in carbon materials science reflects his conviction that climate action is not about doom but about engineering solutions. He speaks on the wonders of carbon materials and the green transition, focusing on bringing optimism, realism and tangible solutions to the conversation. Breaking through to net-zero by 2050 will require new breakthroughs in materials science, he argues.
For rural communities wrestling with climate change—whether through drought, fire, or economic transition—Martin's path offers both hope and a hard truth: minds can shift when the right conditions exist: respect, clear information, and a connection between science and values that matter to the community.