Want some money? Sure you do

Then roll up, roll up, roll up.

The European Commission has just launched its latest call for tenders,

FP7-ENV-2011
EPSS is now available for this call for proposals
Identifier: FP7-ENV-2011

Publication Date: 20 July 2010

Budget: € 155 000 000

Deadline: 16 November 2010 at 17:00:00 (Brussels local time)

Yes they are just about to hand out €155 million - about £130 million, of our money. And what pray do you have to do to get your mits on this cash?

Well your project just needs to fit into this list of possibilities,

Activity 6.1 Climate Change, pollution and risks
Sub-Activity 6.1.1 Pressures on environment and climate
Area 6.1.1.1 The Earth System and Climate: Functioning and abrupt changes
Area 6.1.1.2 Emissions and pressures: Natural and anthropogenic
Area 6.1.1.3 The Global Carbon Cycle - greenhouse gas budgets
Area 6.1.1.4 Future climate
Area 6.1.1.5 Climate change natural and socio-economic impacts
Area 6.1.1.6 Response strategies: adaptation, mitigation and policies
Area 6.1.2.1 Health impacts of climate change
Area 6.1.2.2 Health effects of environmental stressors other than climate
change
Area 6.1.2.3 Methods and decision support tools for environmental health
risk analysis and policy development

There are of course other things you might want to do, but here is the overview (emphasis mine).

Objective of the Environment Theme (according to FP7 Specific Programme for 'Cooperation'):

To promote sustainable management of the natural and human environment and its resources by advancing our knowledge on the interactions between the biosphere, ecosystems and human activities, and developing new technologies, tools and services, in order to address in an integrated way global environmental issues. Emphasis will be put on prediction of climate, ecological, earth and ocean systems changes, on tools and on technologies for monitoring, prevention and mitigation of environmental pressures and risks including on health and for the sustainability of the natural and man-made environment.

Now one of the fun things about EU funding is that it requires match funding generally of at least 40%. Now if we are talking £130 million on this tranche alone that will require match funding of over £50 million - which will come from - well yes mostly from national Government funds.

So when I read, as I did recently that evil oil companies were putting upwards of $1 million into climate sceptic organisations (front page banner headlines in the Times) I start to think, its not really in the same ball park is it?

As Richard North has pointed out before and John Rosenthal has done recently after a while you start to be talking serious money. All paid for by you and me.

Generous aren't we?