A collaboration between the Bureau of Meteorology, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and Geoscience Australia (GA) has produced a new national climate service for the people of Australia.
The $210 million ‘Australian Climate Service’ initiative was aimed at strengthening Australia’s position as a world leader in anticipating and adapting to the impacts of a changing climate.
Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley said the initiative, to be announced in Tuesday’s Federal Budget, will see the Australian Climate Service begin operations on 1 July.
“The Australian Climate Service will bring together our best scientists to help us better anticipate, manage and adapt to climate impacts now and for the generations to come,” Ms Ley said.
“We do face more extreme weather events due to a changing climate, and this is about being prepared, and being able to take steps to make our communities more resilient.”
She said that by bringing together critical data from the nation’s key climate research institutions, the Australian Climate Service would not only help save lives and money through a more informed emergency response, it would inform long-term planning for infrastructure, housing and basic services.
“It will help provide an environmental road map in our planning for infrastructure, housing and basic services like power, telecommunications, and water,” Ms Ley said.
She said the new service would help shape the way communities were built by underpinning Australia’s future adaptation strategies, including the new National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy announced in January.
