We really need to up our R&D game

As the election approaches, parties are proposing new policies and making promises to appeal to Kiwis and lead the country to a prosperous future. However, the crucial role of science and technology in achieving this is often neglected and overlooked in New Zealand’s political agenda, where investment in research and development (R&D) activities as a percentage of GDP remains near the bottom of OECD member countries.

The reason for this can be attributed to the instability, frequent alterations, and different political ideologies prevailing in the nation. It has failed to give industries the confidence to take risks and increase their investment in R&D. It has reinforced New Zealand’s image as ‘risk-averse’, rather than a leader in innovative technologies. We like to call ourselves ‘clean and green’ but seem to struggle when defining the path to stay the course in the 21st century and beyond.

A prime example is our efforts to tackle climate change, or more accurately, the lack of significant efforts to do so. We are one of the largest emitters per capita in the OECD, and our emissions, combined with the other smaller countries, add up to about two-thirds of the world’s total. Yes, there are bigger culprits for greenhouse gas emissions on the global stage, but we believe Aotearoa can demonstrate commitment to environmental leadership by encouraging more innovative solutions.

To prevent the climate crisis, we can’t solely rely on renewable energy sources as a replacement for fossil fuels. Instead, we need to invest in Negative Emissions Technologies (NETs), which involve directly removing or sequestering accumulated greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, from the environment. Direct air capture has gained significant attention as a promising NET, and more novel ideas have been proposed and are being researched globally for reducing CO2 levels in oceans.

The Ministry for the Environment’s position is that “compared to other countries, New Zealand has relatively few point sources of CO2 emissions and a far higher renewable contribution to electricity generation”. New Zealand’s approach has been to support international carbon capture, particularly in countries that emit large amounts of CO2. Although this might seem a prudent approach, we cannot forget that we are part of the same world and face the severe consequences of climate. So instead of supporting from the sideline, New Zealand should encourage homegrown, innovative solutions to drawing greenhouse gases out of the environment.

The government’s recent efforts to revamp the nation’s recycling and food waste management systems have been lauded, but the focus is still on reducing landfills rather than finding ways to eliminate them, as is Switzerland. This is a pressing issue as a significant portion of our waste ends up in landfills, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and soil and groundwater pollution. In order to create a sustainable economy, waste management solutions must be developed with a holistic approach that incorporates technological advancements and social elements. This will require investment in cutting-edge research on landfill elimination solutions, as well as the policies requiring industries and society to adopt and implement these solutions.

Our lack of focus on finding innovative technological solutions to environmental pollution is deeply concerning. The current conventional technologies used to remove environmental contaminants and chemicals commonly used in our daily lives in the water sector are ineffective. Additionally, we depend on overseas technologies to understand environmental pollutants and their behaviour in the environment, which are not easily applied to a local environment. Our waterways have been characterised as some of the most degraded in the developed world, with nutrients and pesticides being the major pollutants. Hence, we should prioritise the development of innovative technological solutions to mitigate pollutants or explore the potential of converting pollutants into value-added commodities.

R&D inherently involves taking risks, but if successful, it can advance knowledge, lead to the development of new technologies and the improvement of existing ones, the development of new products, processes, and services that can create new markets, and lead to increased productivity, efficiency, and competitiveness.

Overall, investing in R&D on innovative technologies is crucial for New Zealand to remain competitive and address important social and environmental challenges of the modern age. It is an investment in New Zealand’s future health and prosperity, and it is time for Aotearoa’s public, private, and political sectors to take this seriously.