Chapter 8 Summary of International Linkages and National Activity

International Linkages and Activity > International Agreements and other Climate-related Cooperation

As well as specific cooperative projects between Australian scientists and institutions and their international colleagues, a number of bilateral and multilateral agreements at government or institutional level have been established which either focus on cooperation on climate issues or include climate as a key area of interest:

• An informal exchange of letters on cooperation in meteorology (including climate matters) and oceanography took place in Melbourne on 19 November 2002 between the Bureau and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), during the visit to Australia by Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher, Administrator, NOAA.
• The Australian-United States Climate Action Partnership (CAP) was signed in February 2002 with the objective of enhancing bilateral cooperation on climate change.
• The Australian-New Zealand Climate Change Partnership was signed in July 2003.
• The Japan-Australia Practical Collaboration on Climate Change was initiated under the Japan-Australia Creative Partnership, which was announced in May 2002.
• The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Bureau of Meteorology and the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) of the Peoples' Republic of China (PRC) on Cooperation in Meteorological Science and Technology addresses climate issues, including through the operation of the CMA Climate Consultancy and Appraisal Committee.
• The MOU between DEH and the National Environmental Protection Agency of the PRC on Environmental Cooperation identifies climate change, including the prediction of regional climate change, studies on climate change impact and counter measures, and technology transfer as areas of mutually high priority.
• The MOU between DEH and the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea, signed on 15 January 1996, identifies activities which mitigate the effects of climate change as an area of cooperation.
• Seasonal and interannual climate forecasting is a key focus of the MOU between the Bureau of Meteorology and the Meteorological and Geophysical Agency of Indonesia.
• The Ministerial Statement of Intent between Australia and Indonesia on Cooperation in the Field of Environmentally Sound and Sustainable Development (1990), highlights climate change impact assessments and response strategies as aspects for regional cooperation.
• The MOU between the Republic of Singapore and Australia relating to Cooperation in the Field of Environmental Management and Protection (1992) includes global warming as a key issue for consultation.
• The MOU between the US National Center for Atmospheric Research and the BMRC on long-term cooperation (1990) includes climate modelling as one of the features.
• The Agreement between Australia and Russia on Cooperation in the Field of Protection and Enhancement of the Environment (signed with the then USSR in 1990) has the study of global climate change as an important aspect of cooperation.
• Under the tripartite Australia-New Zealand-United Kingdom (ANZUK) Intergovernmental Agreement on climate change research, collaborative work is in progress on historical climate datasets for the southern hemisphere.
• Australia and Japan have maintained an Exchange of Notes (treaty status) on the Geostationary Meteorological Satellite Program.
• A treaty Agreement on Scientific and Technical Cooperation was signed in February 1994 between Australia (through DISR, now DEST) and the European Community to stimulate cooperative research and related activities in a range of fields, including climate. The treaty was renegotiated in 1998. DEST actively promotes it through the Innovation Access Program - International Science and Technology.
• The MOU between the India Meteorological Department and the Bureau of Meteorology includes ongoing cooperation on meteorological satellites and monsoon studies.
• The MOU between the Australian Minister for the Environment and Germany's Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (1992) includes cooperation on major global environmental issues such as climate change.
• The Common Subsidiary Arrangement between the Minister for Environment and Nature Conservation of the German Land of Saxony-Anhalt and the Australian Minister for the Environment was established in 1994.
• Use of climate sensitive urban and building design techniques to improve environmental quality, while maximising efficiency of urban operations and infrastructure, is a key element of the work of the Australian-Indonesian Centre for Sustainable Urban and Regional Development (CSURD).
• The MOU between the Hydrometeorological Service of Vietnam and the Bureau of Meteorology, signed in May 1999, includes climate monitoring and prediction as one of its areas of cooperation.
• A MOU on cooperation in meteorology, including activities involving climate, was signed in Geneva in May 2000 between the Bureau of Meteorology and the Islamic Republic of Iran Meteorological Organization (IRIMO).

Australia is also an active participant in the governing and advisory bodies of several global and regional organisations that address climate issues as part of their overall mandates. These include:

• the UN Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD);
• the International Energy Agency (IEA);
• the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD);
• the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Organisation (APEC); and
• the Environment Protection and Heritage Council (of Australia and New Zealand).

In the Asia-Pacific region, Australia supports and participates in several key intergovernmental intergovernmental organisations including the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the South Pacific Forum, IOC WESTPAC and WMO Regional Association V, all of which have a substantial involvement with regional climate issues. As part of its commitment, Australia provides assistance, managed by AusAID, through both government and private sector channels. Australia also contributes to the Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund and the Global Environment Facility, both of which have components addressing climate related activities.

Some of the projects that direct AusAID assistance has made viable include:

• The South Pacific Sea Level and Climate Monitoring Project, initiated in response to the concerns of Pacific Island leaders over the potential impact of climate change and sea level rise on Pacific Island Countries. The aim is to monitor sea level at some 13 sites in the Pacific to an accuracy that is capable of detecting variations as small as 1mm per year. The project, which is funded by AusAID and managed by AMSAT (Australian Marine Science and Technology Limited), contributes to the world wide sea level monitoring effort and also includes capacity building and public awareness components. The project is currently in the third 5-year phase of a planned 20 year program;
• The WMO/ESCAP Project on Smoke Haze for the ASEAN countries, with total funding of $A0.4 million, which commenced in 1998. This project is related to the impacts of climate variability (especially El Niño) in transboundary smoke haze;
• A draft Strategic Plan for the Development of Meteorology in the Pacific Region (2000-2009), which was prepared by SPREP and the WMO Subregional Office for the South-West Pacific in Apia with the assistance of the Bureau of Meteorology, was endorsed by the heads of National Meteorological Services of all 26 SPREP countries in July 1999 and approved by the October 1999 South Pacific Forum;
• The Bureau of Meteorology’s National Climate Centre has commenced implementation of an AusAID funded project on "Enhanced application of climate predictions in Pacific Island Countries", following the announcement by AusAID in August 2002 of a $2.2M project on "Improving climate prediction in the Pacific" to be implemented during 2003- 06;
• Training fellowships for meteorological services personnel from Pacific Island Countries and PNG; and
• Assistance to SPREP on general climate matters.

Through WMO funding, the Bureau of Meteorology provides technical and conceptual advice and raises awareness of WMO climate related initiatives, such as Climate Information and Prediction Services (CLIPS), to the National Meteorological Services of developing South Pacific countries. Bilateral operational and training support, co-sponsored by WMO and AusAID, is provided to Meteorological Services in the South Pacific, Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia regions and funding has also been provided under the WMO Voluntary Cooperation Programme for the provision of satellite equipment to a number of Pacific countries.

Expertise is also provided by the Bureau to various WMO initiatives aimed at the development of National Meteorological Services in Africa. As part of the effort towards Urgent Action for Africa under the International Convention to Combat Desertification, Australia, in conjunction with the USA, contributed funding to implement an Internet link to the Drought Monitoring Centre in Nairobi. This followed a joint Australian-WMO study in 1995-96 which examined the feasibility of establishing an electronic communications network to interlink the Drought Monitoring Centre (DMC) at Harare, the DMC at Nairobi, and the African Centre for Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD) in Niamey. The Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies (CRES) at ANU has compiled a topographic and climate data base for the African continent at a spatial resolution of 0.025 degrees of latitude and longitude (approx 5 km). The data are being used to address pressing problems associated with improving food production, managing pests and diseases and preserving biodiversity.

The Asia Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) supports capacity building activity in the Asia Pacific region closely linked to the activities of the global research programs of WCRP, IGBP and IHDP. For some time, a priority area for the APN has been on climate variability and change, with a particular focus on the Asian monsoon, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation and greenhouse gases. Australian researchers have worked with the APN in the development of indices of extreme climate events for the whole region, and the Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre have hosted a series of annual workshops on this issue.