China to partly fund new CSIRO climate research centre
CSIRO’s re-embracing of climate change research will be underlined on Monday when the national science agency announces a new centre partly funded by Chinese interests.
Based in Hobart, the $20 million centre will examine the role oceans will play in future climate change, including their influence on floods and drought. It will be half funded by China’s Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology.
CSIRO CEO Larry Marshall says research and industry need to work more collaboratively to create new value.
The Centre for Southern Hemisphere Oceans Research will also look at the capacity of seas to keep absorbing carbon dioxide – more than 90 per cent of heat has been taken up by oceans in recent decades – and the expected impact of melting Antarctic ice shelves.
The announcement comes a year after CSIRO came under fire for a proposed restructure that involved a shift away from “science for science sake” and towards corporate partnerships and work that could be sold.
Climate change measurement was among the areas facing cuts because, chief executive Larry Marshall said, the problem was “proven” and resources should be dedicated to finding solutions to global warming….
It follows CSIRO’s announcement in November it had signed a technology licensing agreement with Chinese solar company Thermal Focus allowing it to use the agency’s patented solar concentrating technology in its local market.