THE Victorian government is facing criticism for its headline support of an international conference promoting ''geo-engineering'' - controversial techniques to alter the climate in the event of catastrophic global warming.
Dubbed the ''Woodstock of geo-engineering'', the California conference will consider contentious techniques such as blocking solar radiation using mirrors on satellites and pumping aerosols into the atmosphere, along with more conventional proposals to boost carbon stored in soil and forests.
The state government is the event's sole strategic partner, having invested $250,000 and committed to promoting the conference's recommendations.
Green campaigners asked why the state was backing a conference on ''climate intervention technologies'', saying the money would be better spent cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Influential US blogger climateprogress.org, a geo-engineering critic, suggested Victoria's support might be linked to its reliance on ''dirty'' brown coal-fired energy.
Friends of the Earth spokesman Cam Walker said the government should concentrate on mitigation.
He said the conference aimed to draft voluntary standards for geo-engineering research before there had been discussion on its merit: ''There are a whole lot of opportunities here to drive renewables and innovation, but the government is kicking money into a potentially very dangerous path.''
Environment Victoria campaigns director Mark Wakeham said: ''We would be much more comfortable with this conversation [about geo-engineering] if we were actually doing something to reduce emissions.''
Organised by the US Climate Response Fund, next week's conference will bring together 180 scientists and policy experts from across the globe. Many are world leaders in their fields, a point acknowledged by the conference's critics.
Speakers include former CSIRO chief of atmospheric research Graeme Pearman. He said the primary focus must be on cutting emissions, but it was important to investigate alternatives, given the slow response to climate change.
''I wouldn't go into this unless I thought there was a valid reason for investigating these things to know if they are dangerous or not - [so] if worst comes to worst, we have some options that are properly researched,'' he said.
Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings compared the government's support for the event with that of an annual US biotechnology conference, which had put Victoria on track to become one of the world's top five biotechnology destinations.
''Funding conferences has the potential to create real economic opportunities and jobs for Victoria,'' he said. He said the partnership stemmed from a memorandum of understanding between the Victorian and Californian governments.
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