- Summary
- Table 3.1: Summary of Research Expenditure in 2000/01 by Type
- Table 3.2: Research Expenditure by the Foundation for Research, Science & Technology (FRST) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) on Greenhouse Gas Research
- Table 3.3: Expenditure on Nitrous Oxide, Methane and Related Research (1999- 2002)
- Conclusions
- References
Chapter 3 - A Summary of Current Research Investment in New Zealand
Summary
|
In the period 1999 to 2002, approximately $23,500,000 per year was invested in all aspects of climate change research. Ninety percent of this came from government sources. Indicative figures of current investment in agricultural greenhouse gas emissions based on a survey of the principal research providers shows the following levels:
Expenditure by FRST and MAF in 2002/03 is $3,263,000 and will be $4,715,000 in 2003/04. Improving the National Inventory and the re-ordering of production systems research to examine abatement options were the main areas of investment over the period 1999 to 2002. A strong emphasis on measurement and inventory related research is maintained in the period 2002/2004, and research on abatement technologies has been boosted 3.5 to 5 times over the 1999/00 level. The establishment of the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium represents a significant new area of investment in methane research, and is an important step in the establishment of a partnership between government and the agricultural industry in finding ways to manage agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. |
In the period 1999/00 to 2001/02, approximately $23,500,000 per year was invested in research on all aspects of climate change (National Science Strategy Committee for Climate Change, 2000). Ninety percent was from government sources (82% from FRST). The private sector invested about $2,600,000. Expenditure fell into the categories set out in Table 3.1.
Table 3.1: Summary of Research Expenditure in 2000/01 by Type
Category |
Content of Category |
Expenditure ($ million) |
Trend |
Processes |
Physical climate system including greenhouse gases |
10 (43%) |
Static |
Responses |
Inventories, mitigation and management of climate change, identification of environmental technologies |
9 (39%) |
Increasing as result of private sector investment and re-classification of FRST projects |
Effects |
Actual and potential impacts of climate change on land use and terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and people |
4 (18%) |
Increased 1/3 |
Source: National Science Strategy Committee for Climate Change, 2000
In a report to the Minister for Research, Science & Technology, FRST (2000) advised that 6.7% of its available funds ($340,000,000) was invested in climate change research in 2000/01. While FRST considered that the level of investment was sufficient to support an internationally credible research effort, it recommended that increased research effort was required in the areas of methane and nitrous oxide measurement and mitigation, transport emission reduction, and socio-economic analysis of climate change effects and responses. FRST also drew attention to the need for university climate change research to be strengthened to safeguard the supply of future scientists.
FRST's Strategic Portfolio Outline, `Global Environmental Processes and Change', sets out a broad ranging programme of research investment with a strong emphasis on global strategic issues. Its investment in research related to inventory, mitigation and change management matters was $5,500,000 in 2000/01 (29% of its total investment). This was 60% of the investment by all sectors (government, university, private and local government).
In the 2001 Budget, the government voted the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry $2,750,000 over four years to improve inventory measurements for agricultural emissions. In addition, government provided FRST with $1,000,000 for ruminant methane research.
In the years 2002/03 and 2003/04, FRST has allocated $2,565,000 and $3,776,000 respectively to research on climate change matters that relate to agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has allocated $500,000, $700,000 and $940,000 (approximately) to inventory research in the years 2001/02, 2002/03 and 2003/04 respectively. The allocations are summarised in Table 3.2.
Table 3.2: Research Expenditure by the Foundation for Research, Science & Technology (FRST) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) on Greenhouse Gas Research
Expenditure ($ million) | ||
2002/03 |
2003/04 | |
FRST |
||
Fundamental processes |
0.710 |
0.700 |
Inventory |
1.418 |
1.543 |
Mitigation |
0.435 |
1.532 |
MAF |
||
Inventory - methane |
0.340 |
0.470 |
Inventory - nitrous oxide |
0.360 |
0.470 |
Source: MAF; FRST; Survey of Research Providers (see Appendix 2)
The information summarised in Table 3.3 on current New Zealand research on agricultural greenhouse gases and related areas of research was obtained from responses to a questionnaire completed by AgResearch Ltd, Landcare Research Ltd, Crop & Food Research Ltd, the National Institute of Water and Atmosphere and Lincoln University. Projects were allocated on the basis of their title and objectives to one category of research (see Table 3.3), but the allocation was in some cases somewhat arbitrary because the research spanned more than one category. Because the funding data included sources not cited in Tables 3.1 and 3.2, and there is a lack of some data, the figures obtained from the questionnaire could not be completely reconciled with the other data sources and therefore should be regarded as indicative.
Table 3.3: Expenditure on Nitrous Oxide, Methane and Related Research (1999- 2002)
Expenditure by category1 |
Year |
||||
1999/00 |
2000/01 |
2001/02 |
2002/03 |
2003/043 | |
Nitrous oxide |
|||||
Basic knowledge |
58 |
58 |
220 | ||
National inventory |
150 |
150 |
279 |
124 |
124 |
Abatement technologies, products and farm management systems |
75 |
75 |
463 |
671 |
106 |
Methane |
|||||
Basic knowledge |
84 |
185 |
185 |
||
National inventory |
694 |
694 |
|||
Abatement technologies, products and farm management systems |
215 |
215 |
517 |
587 |
361 |
General Methane and Nitrous Oxide Research |
|||||
Basic knowledge |
93 |
93 |
|||
National inventory2 |
12 |
368 |
719 |
50 | |
Abatement technologies, products and farm management systems |
50 |
236 |
283 | ||
TOTAL |
582 |
510 |
2 649 |
3 309 |
1 144 |
1 The categories were
- Basic knowledge on processes, technologies etc with no immediate practical outputs
- Primarily to improve the National Inventory
- Primarily to improve the abatement and mitigation of methane or nitrous oxide through new technologies, products or farm management systems
2 This category excludes research on atmospheric processes that have an application beyond agricultural GHG
3 Data incomplete because some contracts were yet to be finalised.
Source: Questionnaire completed by AgResearch Ltd, Landcare Research Ltd, Crop & Food Research Ltd, the National Institute of Water and Atmosphere and Lincoln University
Table 3.2 demonstrates a substantial increase in funding and effort in 2001/02 and 2002/03 that is expected to continue in 2003/04. The development of a joint government/industry research programme may lead to a further increase in investment. The notable increases have been in research related to improving the national inventory and in research on the management of emissions through farm management practices. It is likely that at least some of the research in the latter category is a re-direction of effort from other aspects of research on production improvement to a more specific investigation of the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. The `general' category is not a new category, but represents a focussing of effort on improving the national inventory and farm management systems. A more complete summary of current research programmes is provided in Appendix 2.
A significant new development is the establishment of the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium (PGGRC) involving Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd, Meat New Zealand, AgResearch Ltd, Wrightson Ltd and DEEResearch. Industry funds have been matched by FRST funding to create an initial funding level of approximately $1,500,000. Funding from both sources is expected to grow over the initial five year term of the Consortium. PGGRC's initial science strategy is based on a balanced portfolio of short, medium and long-term research on methane production in ruminants that can lead to practical on-farm methods of reducing emissions. Such methods need to be shown to be safe, leave no residues in meat or milk, be cost-effective, and be applicable to grazing animals. The focus in the first three to four years will be on discovery and proof-of-concept research that is intended to uncover a range of abatement processes and products that can be further developed as practical abatement measures. The research portfolio includes studies of potential animal, plant and rumen microbial targets.
The six key science areas of investigation and a brief description are:
1. Rumen microbial strategies to lower methane emissions
- Exploit rumen processes which influence methanogenesis and the survival of methanogens to provide novel on-farm strategies.
2. Forage and plant inhibitors to lower methane emissions
- Identify and quantify inhibitory properties of forage inhibitors.
3. Genomics for identifying methanogen inhibition targets
- Compare and contrast rumen and non-rumen methanogens in order to pin-point areas of archael/bacterial `weakness'.
4. Animal factors affecting methane emissions
- Quantify the genetic and environmental components of between-animal variation.
5. Proof-of-function of possible methane-reducing technologies
- Animal assessments to establish potential of possible on-farm technologies, safety, and acceptance to consumer.
6. On-farm testing
- Acceptability at a farm systems level (to follow successful leads from above).
These areas of science investigation form interlinked strands that will inform, negate and encourage certain lines of ongoing research (the go/no-go questions for the Science Advisory Group).
Although PGGRC's initial research portfolio concentrates on methane, work on nitrous oxide is planned.
Conclusions
The research emphasis on agricultural greenhouse gases, their sources and abatement technologies has been a recent phenomenon. Funding of studies on abatement has risen 3.5 to 5 times the 1999/00 levels, but more time will be needed for these studies to bear fruit. The increased investment in measurement and inventory work will also need to be sustained in the long-term, not only to improve the National Inventory, but also to ensure that any abatement measures that may be adopted in the future can be measured or estimated.
The emergence of the PGGRC represents an important step towards a partnership between government and the agricultural industry in dealing with their respective interests in controlling agricultural emissions.
Comments on the content of current research can be found in the chapters which follow.
References
Foundation for Research, Science & Technology (2000): Strategic Report on the Foundation's Climate Change Research Portfolio. FRST, Wellington.
Foundation for Research, Science & Technology (2002): Strategic Portfolio Outline: Global Environmental Processes and Change. FRST, Wellington.
National Science Strategy Committee for Climate Change (2000): A New Zealand Climate Change Research Strategy: Kyoto and Beyond. Ministry for the Environment, Wellington.
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