NZ-US climate change partnership projects
Friday, 25 July 2003
Media Statement
Joint statement with the United States Government
NZ-US climate change
partnership projects
Senior officials from New Zealand and the United States met in Wellington today to consolidate cooperation under the bilateral climate change partnership. Through this initiative, the U.S. and New Zealand have committed to enhanced bilateral dialogue and practical cooperation on climate change.
The U.S. delegation to New Zealand was led by Dr Harlan Watson, Senior Climate Negotiator and Special Representative of the Department of State. Dr Watson headed a delegation including representatives from the Departments of Commerce (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), Energy and State, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Science Foundation, and the Consortium for Agricultural Soils Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases (CASMGS), a consortium of nine U.S. universities and a national laboratory assembled to investigate agricultural soils to mitigate greenhouse gases.
During his visit to New Zealand, Dr Watson met with the Convenor of the Ministerial Group on Climate Change, Hon Pete Hodgson. He also met with a range of senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Climate Change Office, the Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Treasury, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), as well as climate change scientists from a number of agencies, including the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), Landcare Research, CRL Energy Ltd, Massey University, Victoria University of Wellington and Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences.
The exchanges underscored the significant amount of cooperation which already exists between the U.S. and New Zealand in the area of climate change research.
A number of new projects were initiated under the partnership in the following nine areas: climate change science; technology development; greenhouse gas accounting in forestry and agriculture; engagement with business; cooperation with developing countries; climate change research in Antarctica; and public education initiatives. The two sides also discussed a number of policy issues including process and product standards to achieve common best practice benchmarks for appliances, vehicles and industry processes, as well as the development of emissions registries. Specific projects included under the partnership are identified in an attachment to this statement.
United States and New Zealand bilateral climate change partnership: current collaborative projects
Climate Change Science
Proposed Flask Sampling from a Ship Plying the
Western Pacific
Collaborating agencies:
- National
Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA)
-
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory
(CMDL)
Stratospheric Water Profiles
- NIWA
- NOAA,
CMDL
Dobson Spectrophotometer Measurements of
Stratospheric Ozone
- NIWA
- NOAA, CMDL
Network for
the Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC)
- NIWA
-
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA),
CMDL
Technology Development
Distributed Energy
Systems
- Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority
(EECA), Industrial Research Limited (IRL), Massey
University, Totara Valley Community
- Department of
Energy (DOE), National Renewable Energy
Laboratory
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Feasibility Study
- EECA,
Ministry of Economic Development (MED), UNITEC, CRL Energy
Ltd, IRL, Massey University
- DOE, Department of Defence,
Stanford University
Assessment of geological CO2
sequestration and storage in low rank coal seams
- MED,
CRL Energy Ltd
- DOE, National Energy Technology
Laboratory
Energy Efficiency
- EECA
- DOE, Oakridge
National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory
Emissions Registries and Voluntary Programs
Sharing information and lessons from emissions
registries and voluntary programmes
- MED, Climate Change
Office
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
DOE
Greenhouse Gas Accounting in Forestry and Agriculture
Quantifying land-use and management effects on
carbon storage in the United States and New Zealand
-
Landcare Research, AgResearch, University of Canterbury
-
Woods Hole Research Center, Baylor University, U.S.
Geological Survey, Colorado State University, University of
Colorado, Columbia University, Texas Tech University,
University of California, Davis.
Carbon accounting and
land management
- Climate Change Office, Landcare
Research
- Consortium for Agricultural Soils Mitigation
of Greenhouse Gases (CASMGS)
Nitrous oxide emissions:
measurement and modelling
- Lincoln University,
AgResearch, Landcare Research
- CASMGS
Greenhouse gas
emission measurement for mitigation assessment of cropland
and grazing land
- NIWA, Landcare Research
-
CASMGS
Improving agricultural non-CO2 GHG emission
estimates and identifying mitigation options
- Ministry
of Agriculture and Forestry, AgResearch, Lincoln University,
Landcare Research
- EPA
Engaging with Business
Engaging with and informing enterprises about
practices and technologies to address greenhouse gas
emissions
- NIWA, New Zealand Business Council for
Sustainable Development, EECA, Climate Change Office
-
Rocky Mountain Institute, DOE, EPA
Sharing information on
business initiatives and opportunities
- Climate Change
Office, MED, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- EPA,
Department of State, DOE
Developing Country Assistance
Improved climate monitoring systems for the
Pacific
- NIWA, MetService
- NOAA
Improved ocean
climate observations for the Pacific
- NIWA
- NOAA,
East-West Center
Development and use of tailored climate
and climate change information and products for the
Pacific
- NIWA, New Zealand Agency for International
Development (NZAID)
- NOAA, East-West Center, University
of Hawaii, International Research Institute for Climate
Prediction (IRI)
Capacity development on climate and
extreme events in the Pacific
- NIWA
- East-West
Center, NOAA
Climate Change Research in Antarctica
ANDRILL – Antarctic Geological Drilling
-
Antarctica New Zealand, Institute of Geological and Nuclear
Sciences (GNS), Victoria University of Wellington,
University of Otago, NIWA, University of Canterbury
-
National Science Foundation (NSF), University of Nebraska,
Northern Illinois University, Ohio State University, Florida
State University, University of Massachusetts
Surface
Ozone Measurement Project
- NIWA
- NOAA,
CMDL
Understanding past climate from ice cores in New
Zealand and Antarctica
- GNS, Victoria University of
Wellington
- NSF, University of Maine
Latitude
Gradient Project
- NIWA, Antarctica New Zealand
- NSF,
University of Virginia, Ohio State University
Public Education Initiatives
Sharing education and outreach
products and lessons learnt
- Climate Change Office,
NIWA
- EPA, NOAA
Product and Process Standards
Energy
Efficiency Standards
- EECA, Ministry for the
Environment, MED
-
DOE