Australian Gov. Rejects Plan For $160 Million Climate Research & Risk Modeling Center

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A proposal to create a world-class $160million national research centre for climate and weather risk management including floods, storms, cyclones and heatwaves has been rejected by the Federal Government in its latest round of science funding.

Australian Greens leader Bob Brown has called for an urgent review of the decision by Science Minister Kim Carr describing it as ''an extraordinary lack of foresight'', given the catastrophic economic and social impacts of Queensland's floods.

Senator Brown accused the Government of failing to gasp that climate change was already costing taxpayers billions of dollars in emergency response to an increasing number of extreme weather disasters. '''We will demand a review of this decision when Parliament resumes sitting next month,'' he said.

The Cooperative Research Centre for Climate and Weather Risk Technologies failed in its bid to gain $37million in federal funding, despite the backing of more than 50 local councils, the world's biggest re-insurance broker, Australia's biggest general insurance company, top universities and meteorology institutes in Australia, Britain and the United States. According to documents outlining the research centre's potential benefits, it had the potential to deliver ''at least a $1.68billion return'' over 10 years by reducing the impact of floods, tropical cyclones, heatwaves, storm surges and hail.

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http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/national/national/general/government-rejects-weather-risk-centre/2038754.aspx