Published Thursday, 29 March, 2007 at 05:00 AM
Premier and Minister for Trade
The Honourable Peter Beattie
PREMIER SIGNS INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE R&D AGREEMENTS
LONDON: Queensland’s climate change experts have joined forces with two of Britain’s leading institutions in joint initiatives to help unlock more of the mysteries of climate change and respond to its impact.
Premier Peter Beattie said climate change was a global issue and required a global response.
“We need to collaborate with international leaders in the field to find the best ways to predict the impact of climate change and develop strategies to combat them,” Mr Beattie said.
In London today Mr Beattie met Dr Tim Wheeler and Dr Rowan Sutton, key senior scientists of the Walker Institute for Climate System Research, and Professor Gordon Marshall, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading in which the Walker Institute is based.
Mr Beattie and Professor Marshall signed an Agreement for International Research Cooperation between the new Queensland Climate Change Centre of Excellence (QCCCE) in Brisbane and the Walker Institute to foster information exchange and research collaboration between Walker and the Queensland Government.
“This is a major step in addressing the critical issue of climate change,” Mr Beattie said.
“The objective of the collaboration is to support international research activities into climate, agricultural and hydrological systems. Several initial joint projects are already on the table with funding at our end from the Department of Natural Resources and Water which runs the QCCCE budget.
“One of the projects aims to develop more effective use of climate predictions with specific reference to climate extremes and hazardous weather, which are key aspects for the water and agricultural sectors.
“The better we are at predicting cyclones, the better prepared we can be when they unleash their devastating impact on Queensland communities.”
Mr Beattie also met Dr Rob Allan, a senior climate scientist in the Climate Variability and Forecasting Group from the Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Change. This was to formalise links between the QCCCE and the Hadley Centre through an agreement fostering joint research and development into climate applications, systems analysis and modelling.
“Queensland has strengths in helping to interpret the likely impact of climate change at an industry or enterprise level. This strongly complements the Hadley Centre’s internationally recognised expertise in modelling global climate systems,” said the Premier.
“The joint activity proposed for the QCCCE and Hadley Centre will also strengthen links with other leading climate research groups in Europe and the US, including the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Earth System Research Laboratory and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences/Climate Diagnostics Centre at Colorado University.
“This initiative project will use measurements of surface level pressure such as those made by early shipping voyages to southern oceans to reconstruct atmospheric weather data over the last 100-150 years.”
Premier Beattie said this would be of immense value to Queensland, improving our ability to predict climate and weather events that affect the State’s weather, climate and water resources.
“New data products from this project will link into existing climate analysis applications and models and result in major improvements in our understanding of the climate system and the impacts of climate change,” he said.
“It will enable the development of policy responses and contribute significantly to global responses to climate change.”
Mr Beattie has invited representatives of the Walker Institute and the Met Office Hadley Centre to take part in the third Australia-New Zealand Climate Change and Business Conference in Brisbane on 30-31 August this year.
Professor Gordon Marshall, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, said: “I am delighted we are working in partnership with the Queensland Climate Change Centre of Excellence.”
“Alliances such as these are the key to tackling the issue of climate change and allow us to develop further the very good work of both institutions. I am incredibly proud of all Walker is doing and I am sure this initiative can only add to Reading’s already well-established reputation for excellence in this field,” Professor Marshall said.
Mr Beattie said the association with both the Walker Institute and the Hadley Centre would raise Queensland’s profile in the broader climate change research community and improve the QCCCE’s access to other key agencies.
Today’s agreements also complement the Friendship Cooperation Arrangement between the Governments of Queensland and KwaZulu-Natal signed by the Premier in South Africa last week, and another signed with the University of KwaZulu-Natal on behalf of the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.
“Today’s agreements with the Walker Institute and the Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Change represent a great step towards creating an international network to share information, create new data products and improve climate models.”
For more information about Walker Institute involvement please contact: Lucy Ferguson on +44 (0)118 3787388. See also www.walker-institute.ac.uk
For more information about the Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Change involvement please contact Met Office Press Office on +44 (0) 1392 88 6655. See also www.metoffice.gov.uk
Media Contact: Premier’s office 3224 4500
March 29, 2007
Premier Peter Beattie said climate change was a global issue and required a global response.
“We need to collaborate with international leaders in the field to find the best ways to predict the impact of climate change and develop strategies to combat them,” Mr Beattie said.
In London today Mr Beattie met Dr Tim Wheeler and Dr Rowan Sutton, key senior scientists of the Walker Institute for Climate System Research, and Professor Gordon Marshall, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading in which the Walker Institute is based.
Mr Beattie and Professor Marshall signed an Agreement for International Research Cooperation between the new Queensland Climate Change Centre of Excellence (QCCCE) in Brisbane and the Walker Institute to foster information exchange and research collaboration between Walker and the Queensland Government.
“This is a major step in addressing the critical issue of climate change,” Mr Beattie said.
“The objective of the collaboration is to support international research activities into climate, agricultural and hydrological systems. Several initial joint projects are already on the table with funding at our end from the Department of Natural Resources and Water which runs the QCCCE budget.
“One of the projects aims to develop more effective use of climate predictions with specific reference to climate extremes and hazardous weather, which are key aspects for the water and agricultural sectors.
“The better we are at predicting cyclones, the better prepared we can be when they unleash their devastating impact on Queensland communities.”
Mr Beattie also met Dr Rob Allan, a senior climate scientist in the Climate Variability and Forecasting Group from the Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Change. This was to formalise links between the QCCCE and the Hadley Centre through an agreement fostering joint research and development into climate applications, systems analysis and modelling.
“Queensland has strengths in helping to interpret the likely impact of climate change at an industry or enterprise level. This strongly complements the Hadley Centre’s internationally recognised expertise in modelling global climate systems,” said the Premier.
“The joint activity proposed for the QCCCE and Hadley Centre will also strengthen links with other leading climate research groups in Europe and the US, including the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Earth System Research Laboratory and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences/Climate Diagnostics Centre at Colorado University.
“This initiative project will use measurements of surface level pressure such as those made by early shipping voyages to southern oceans to reconstruct atmospheric weather data over the last 100-150 years.”
Premier Beattie said this would be of immense value to Queensland, improving our ability to predict climate and weather events that affect the State’s weather, climate and water resources.
“New data products from this project will link into existing climate analysis applications and models and result in major improvements in our understanding of the climate system and the impacts of climate change,” he said.
“It will enable the development of policy responses and contribute significantly to global responses to climate change.”
Mr Beattie has invited representatives of the Walker Institute and the Met Office Hadley Centre to take part in the third Australia-New Zealand Climate Change and Business Conference in Brisbane on 30-31 August this year.
Professor Gordon Marshall, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, said: “I am delighted we are working in partnership with the Queensland Climate Change Centre of Excellence.”
“Alliances such as these are the key to tackling the issue of climate change and allow us to develop further the very good work of both institutions. I am incredibly proud of all Walker is doing and I am sure this initiative can only add to Reading’s already well-established reputation for excellence in this field,” Professor Marshall said.
Mr Beattie said the association with both the Walker Institute and the Hadley Centre would raise Queensland’s profile in the broader climate change research community and improve the QCCCE’s access to other key agencies.
Today’s agreements also complement the Friendship Cooperation Arrangement between the Governments of Queensland and KwaZulu-Natal signed by the Premier in South Africa last week, and another signed with the University of KwaZulu-Natal on behalf of the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.
“Today’s agreements with the Walker Institute and the Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Change represent a great step towards creating an international network to share information, create new data products and improve climate models.”
For more information about Walker Institute involvement please contact: Lucy Ferguson on +44 (0)118 3787388. See also www.walker-institute.ac.uk
For more information about the Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Change involvement please contact Met Office Press Office on +44 (0) 1392 88 6655. See also www.metoffice.gov.uk
Media Contact: Premier’s office 3224 4500
March 29, 2007