Canada plans to direct up to C$116 million to 12 climate projects in developing countries, the first allocation under a five-year C$13 billion goal that extends the country's climate financing through 2031.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) said seven projects have climate adaptation or resilience as a primary or significant secondary objective, together accounting for more than half of the planned funding. Julie Dabrusin, Canada's Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature, announced the package at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, on Nov. 13. She said the money would help developing countries “cut emissions and prepare for extreme weather.”
The largest listed amount is up to C$15 million over five years for the World Bank's Energy Sector Management Assistance Program. The Climate Finance Access Network is slated for up to C$11 million over four years to improve access to climate financing for Small Island Developing States. The plan also lists up to C$14 million over four years for the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance.
Five projects are listed to start in Canada's 2026-27 fiscal year and seven in 2027-28. The earlier group includes up to C$10 million over five years for a climate risk and early-warning program and up to C$10 million over five years for the International Energy Agency's Clean Energy Transitions Programme. Later projects include up to C$6 million over three years for the NDC Partnership and up to C$12 million over four years for the National Adaptation Plan Global Network.
The C$13 billion objective covers more than the 12 projects. ECCC says the target counts financing through multilateral development banks and Export Development Canada, as well as private finance mobilized by public funds.
The government cites the 2024 COP29 climate-finance agreement, which called for scaling overall support for developing countries to at least US$1.3 trillion annually by 2035, including at least US$300 billion a year led by developed countries. ECCC projects that Canada's international climate funding since 2015 will help more than 40 million people in developing countries adapt to climate impacts and prevent or reduce nearly 658 megatonnes of emissions worldwide by 2050. That estimate covers earlier Canadian support and was not attributed to the 12 projects announced at COP31.
