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THE Australian government has abolished the country’s energy research
funding agency.

Created by the former Labor government, the Energy Research and Development
Corporation had been spending about A$12 million (£6 million) a
year. But in last year’s budget, the first set by the ruling conservative
coalition, the ERDC’s income was slashed to half this amount. Before the cuts
hit, up to A$3 million of the ERDC’s annual budget went to research on
alternative and renewable energy sources.

Australia is currently resisting attempts to set strict limits on emissions
of greenhouse gases under the UN’s Convention on Climate Change. Critics argue
that the ERDC’s abolition will be seized upon as evidence that Australia is not
taking global warming seriously.