AUSTRALIAN PM ANNOUNCES CLIMATE CHANGE PLANS.

SYDNEY, Sept 3 Asia Pulse - Prime Minister John Howard has announced $A70 million ($US57.06 million) in international climate change initiatives on the first day of the APEC summit in Sydney.

Mr Howard said Australia would contribute $50 million to the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate.

The funding will be used in various projects to develop and deploy cleaner, more efficient technologies.

The $50 million will add to $100 million which was announced in January last year and has already been committed to 63 regional projects.

Another $15.7 million will go towards the Asia Pacific Forestry Skills and Capacity Building Program to assist regional countries to improve the ability of their forests to capture and store carbon dioxide.

The federal government will also spend $5 million to set up the Asia Pacific Network for Energy Technology which will improve linkages between researchers in the region working on low-emissions energy and energy-efficient technologies.

"I am pleased to announce new funding for three measures to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions through international cooperation," Mr Howard told reporters in Sydney today.