Morgan donates $250,000 to research

Economist and philanthropist Gareth Morgan has donated $250,000 to Victoria University's Antarctic Research Centre (ARC).

The grant will fund initiatives including a Research Fellowship on Ice Sheets and Sea Level to improve understanding of how ice sheets are likely to contribute to rising sea levels and the potential effect this could have in the southwest Pacific region.

Dr Morgan said while studying the climate change debate it was clear that good scientific research was critical to ongoing understanding of the global warming issue and its risks.

The grant from his family's charitable foundation will advance the contribution from the ARC research projects, which focus on understanding Antarctica's climate history and processes, and their influence on the global climate system.

"Given the estimates of anthropogenic contributions to climate change remain subject to some uncertainty, and given that policy responses cannot wait until we have absolute certainty, it is imperative that the science continues to narrow it down to minimise the chances of inappropriate and costly policy responses, Dr Morgan said.

- NZPA