CSIRO climate centre goes some way to offsetting cuts

It seems that Australian climate science is refusing to die, with the announcement yesterday that CSIRO is establishing a national climate research centre to be based in Hobart.

As explained by CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall, the CSIRO Climate Science Centre will focus on climate modelling and projections for Australia, drawing on both national and international research expertise. Employing 40 full-time CSIRO scientists, who will work closely with researchers from Australian universities and other stakeholders, the centre will operate as part of CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere and has a guaranteed research capability for 10 years.

Furthermore, an independent National Climate Science Advisory Committee will be established in order to enable the centre to engage in ongoing collaborations and partnerships. Featuring representation from CSIRO, the Bureau of Meteorology and other experts, the committee will report to the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science to inform the future direction of Australia’s climate science capability and research priorities.

Working closely with the Bureau of Meteorology, CSIRO is also planning to deepen its existing partnership with the UK Meteorology Office. The organisation will offer its Southern Hemisphere modelling capability and measurements to the UK’s global model, helping to build a model that is even more relevant for Australia and other Southern Hemisphere nations.

“The centre, with support from the advisory committee, will allow scientists across the nation to provide a decadal commitment to climate research in the nation’s interest,” Dr Marshall said.

News of the centre has been welcomed by the Climate Council, with chief councillor Professor Tim Flannery saying the centre’s establishment is “a sensible move in response to widespread concern from right across the community”.

But the council has warned that the centre will still represent a decrease in climate science capacity, merely reducing the magnitude of CSIRO’s cuts to climate science that were announced in February.

“It is also unclear as to who will sustain research focused on the response side of CSIRO’s climate work, particularly in areas such as urban development and landscape management,” noted the Climate Council’s Professor Will Steffen. “These are crucial for both adaptation and mitigation and are key applications of the knowledge that the new centre is intended to deliver.”

The Australian Academy of Science has been similarly subdued in its appraisal, with Academy President Professor Andrew Holmes congratulating those responsible for brokering the centre but adding that CSIRO’s “diminished capability for science in the national interest should be of concern to all Australians”.

To develop better information on the state of climate research in Australia, the academy is commencing a review of climate science capabilities. Professor Holmes said, “We hope this will form the basis of a more strategic view of climate science in Australia that outlines where and how this can best be developed and applied for Australia’s future.”