Canada ups climate pledge for developing countries

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives at the Commonwealths Heads of Government meeting, Friday, Nov. 27, 2015 in Valletta, Malta. Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP

OTTAWA, Canada—Canada on Friday pledged nearly two billion US dollars over five years to help developing countries fight climate change, just days before a major Paris conference on the environment.

READ: Paris climate pledges can avert extreme warming—study

“Canada is committed to ambitious action on climate change and is focused on the economic opportunities of our environment and creating the clean jobs of tomorrow,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office said in a statement.

Trudeau was participating in a Commonwealth summit in Malta before heading to the French capital for the UN-sponsored climate conference.

READ: Paris climate talks by the numbers

The aid aims to help the world’s poorest countries “transition to low-carbon economies that are both sustainable and more resilient,” Trudeau’s office said

The Canadian pledge is a “substantial increase. It represents a doubling of Canada’s previous climate announcement,” Environment Minister Catherine McKenna said during a teleconference.

McKenna noted that the funds would go to specific projects that have yet to be named.

The pledge is part of Canada’s commitments under the 2009 Copenhagen Accord under which developed countries promised annual payments of $100 billion to finance developing countries climate policies until 2020, when the future Paris agreement goes into effect.

“Canada is back and ready to play its part in combating climate change, and this includes helping the poorest and most vulnerable countries in the world adapt,” Trudeau said in a statement.

“It is yet another example that Canada is once again a serious player in the international fight against climate change.”

Elected on October 19, the Trudeau government is bringing to Paris the same goals of its conservative predecessor: reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030 compared to 2005 levels.

McKenna, however, said she wanted to work with Canadian provinces and territories to obtain a “new national emission target” within 90 days.

“We will do the hard work, which is to come up with realistic and credible targets for Canada,” she added.

“And I have been clear, it’s a floor—not a ceiling.”