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Our Research

Climate change mitigation

Motu is currently involved in several projects exploring how the emissions leading to climate change can be mitigated. Some of these projects focus on climate change issues in New Zealand, and some consider the effects of climate change overseas.

In 2013, Motu launched Shaping New Zealand’s Low-Emission Future: Making the NZ ETS Effective. Funded by the Aotearoa Foundation and other supporters, the programme has now run for six years and been instrumental in changes to the ETS and the introduction of the Zero Carbon Bill.

Our research focus

Motu’s current and recent research focus is on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through:

Emissions pricing such as the New Zealand Emissions Trading System addressing agricultural 'biological' emissions from cows and sheep.
Sequestering carbon in trees in New Zealand.
Understanding the linkages between managing freshwater quality and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.
Working with people in developing countries to reduce their emissions.
The design of international cooperative agreements.

Funders

Aotearoa Foundation, Ministry for Primary Industries, NZ Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre, The Deep South: Te Kōmata o Te Tonga, NZ Climate Change Research Institute, Tindall Foundation, Mighty River Power, Ministry for the Environment, Meridian Energy, Z Energy, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment