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Canada, Germany pushing wealthy countries for more climate money

Oct 1, 2021 | 2:10 PM

OTTAWA — Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says Canada and Germany have made “a lot of progress” convincing rich countries around the world to pony up more cash to help the developing world fight climate change.

Wilkinson is in Italy this week for the final setup talks establishing the agenda for the 2021 United Nations climate conference in Scotland next month.

The COP26 talks include a deadline for countries in the Paris climate agreement to show more ambitious plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions, with time running out to slow climate change before it becomes irreversible.

But just as critical to having those plans are the funds to actually implement them.

More than 10 years ago the wealthiest nations agreed to collectively raise US$100 billion a year in climate financing by 2020 so developing countries could afford to both adapt to and mitigate climate change.

The world is more than US$20 billion short of that goal and Wilkinson and a German environment secretary were asked in July to lead a charge to close that gap before the meetings start in Glasgow.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2021.

Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press