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Funding boost for climate research PRIME Minister Helen Clark has announced new research and development funding, totalling $6.7 million a year from next year, to promote sustainability and help New Zealand respond to climate change.Helen Clark said that the Labour-led Government has established a new contestable fund of $4 million a year to help bring forward the use of alternative energy sources such as liquid biofuels, biomass, solar, hydrogen, wind power, and low carbon fossil fuels. Energy and Climate Change Minister David Parker said that this Low Carbon Energy Technologies Fund will help move good ideas in the sustainable energy area to a stage where they are ready for development." "The first priority of this fund will be supporting the development and use of new liquid biofuels, and developing new biofuels from New Zealand resources such as trees, seeds, plants, algae, and agricultural waste," David Parker said. Research, Science and Technology Minister Steve Maharey announced that $2.5 million per annum from 2007/08 would fund research to help manage the likely effects of climate change on New Zealand. "While some of the projected changes will provide us with opportunities, other impacts will be less welcome, with increased storms, flooding and drought in different areas. "New research will assist us to manage the future impacts on our primary industries, our towns and cities and our transport, energy and communication infrastructure." Conservation Minister Chris Carter announced new funding of $200,000 per year to research the effects of pest control on carbon storage in native forests. This research will identify the best places to manage animal pests to increase carbon storage. The research will help the Department of Conservation to establish pilot projects with commercial investors to increase carbon storage on public conservation land. |
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