New disaster-mitigation science panel

Thursday, 9 June 2005 12:00 AM

Tony Blair has backed plans to for a new international science panel designed to help reduce the impact of natural disasters like tsunamis and earthquakes.

The Prime Minister will also use the G8 presidency to seek wider support for the panel.

Such a panel was recommended today by the Natural Hazard Working Group.

The group envisages the panel would cost less than £1 million a year and would pool the work of eminent scientists, identify gaps in knowledge and advise decision takers on potential natural hazards with both regional and international impact.

Welcoming Government support, Chief Scientific Adviser Sir David King said: "The events of Boxing Day 2004 have demonstrated that we ignore extreme natural hazards at our peril. We must take up the challenge now of identifying such threats, understanding the processes and mechanisms that underpin them, and developing effective systems to mitigate their impact."

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