Canada demonstrates international leadership on environment and climate change
News Release
June 5, 2017 – Gatineau, Quebec – Environment and Climate Change Canada
Canada is thrilled to be this year’s host of World Environment Day.
We are steadfast in our commitment to work with our global partners to address climate change and promote clean growth. We are working together to leave a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable planet for our children and grandchildren.
Canada will continue to take on leadership on climate change. In September 2017, Canada will co-host a ministerial meeting, in Canada, with China and the European Union to advance the Paris Agreement and clean growth. From September 3 to September 9, 2017, Canada will also host the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in Montréal, Quebec. In 2018, Canada will prioritize climate-change action and clean economic growth, during Canada’s G7 presidency.
Canada is also unwavering in its commitment to support developing countries—especially the poorest and most vulnerable—in their transition to low-carbon and climate-resilient economies. Our climate finance pledge of $2.65 billion by 2020 supports adaptation and mitigation actions. This funding helps mobilize private-sector investment in clean-technology innovation in developing countries so that they too may seize the economic opportunities of the global shift towards clean growth.
As host of World Environment Day, Canada is highlighting the fact that developing countries need continued international investments in adaptation and biodiversity to help with their transition to building resilience in their communities.
Today, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, and the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced another significant investment in climate finance. Canada has issued a call for proposals, worth $40 million, seeking to increase agricultural resilience in Senegal, over five years. The initiative aims to improve the socio-economic well-being and resilience of farming families, especially women and youth, in response to rainfall variations.
Canada is also proud to stand alongside many international partners in the Green Climate Fund, where Canada has committed $300 million to support developing countries in their efforts to adapt to a changing climate. The Green Climate Fund has approved US$44 million to help Uganda restore critical wetlands to maximize the natural benefits of ecosystems, such as replenishing ground water and improving flood control. This initiative will enhance the livelihoods of subsistence-farming communities through fishing and agriculture. The Green Climate Fund has also approved US$84 million to reduce emissions from deforestation in Ecuador, including controlling agricultural expansion into forest areas.
Quotes
“We are continuing to take action both at home and abroad to transition to a clean-growth economy. The investments we have made will create a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable planet for our kids and grandkids. I look forward to engaging with other global climate-change leaders in the coming weeks and months.”
– Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
“Canada encourages climate investments in developing countries to help build climate-resilient communities. We are looking for innovative projects that would help the agricultural sector in Senegal resist and adapt to the effects of climate change. This is part of Canada’s commitment towards a sustainable environment for all.”
– Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie
Quick Facts
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The Green Climate Fund is part of the financial mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which helps fund climate-finance investment in low-emissions, climate-resilient development.
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The Green Climate Fund has approved over US$2 billion to 43 mitigation and adaptation projects around the world. These investments are mobilizing an additional US$5.3 billion in public and private finance, and it is expected to avoid 978 million tonnes of carbon dioxide and support 128 million people in increasing their resilience to climate change.
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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is the leading international body for the assessment of climate change. It was established in 1988 by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization to provide the world with a clear, scientific view on the current state of knowledge in climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic impacts.
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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reviews and assesses the most recent scientific, technical, and socio-economic information produced worldwide relevant to the understanding of climate change.
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Marie-Pascale Des Rosiers
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
613-462-5473
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Environment and Climate Change Canada
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Marie-Emmanuelle Cadieux
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343-203-6621
marie-emmanuelle.cadieux@international.gc.ca
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