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A climate fund

the Clinton administration is hoping to spend an extra us $4 billion in the year 2000 to combat the threat of global warming. The proposal, which will be included in the president's 2000 budget due to be sent for approval to the Congress in February, is designed to help the us pursue an "aggressive and commonsense' policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, said a White House statement in late January. A similar package, proposed in 1998, was stalled after Republicans statement complained that the Clinton administration was trying to implement the December 1997 Kyoto climate treaty before it had been ratified by the us . Over us $1.4 billion, a 34 per cent increase from 1998, will be directed into the research and development of energy-efficient technologies and renewable energy programme.

Another key element would be the creation of a us $200 million "clean air partnership fund', said officials. Individual states and the private sector will be expected to match donations from the fund to pay for a number of programmes, including increasing the numbers of energy-efficient buildings and public-private initiatives.

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