Canada's Ambassador for Climate Change, Catherine Stewart, delivers Canada's national statement at COP29

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 20, 2024 /CNW/ - Excellencies, distinguished guests, I am pleased to deliver this statement on behalf of Canada's Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault.

I would like to begin by citing a word of wisdom from an old Haudenosaunee proverb: "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations."

I raise these words to remind us that we are not just fighting for today or even for tomorrow, but for a liveable planet for those who will come long after us.

The decisions we make and the actions we take today matter more than we will know.

This is the critical decade. Humanity is shattering climate records every year – records we should not celebrate breaking.

Together, we must seize this moment for real action.

Canada comes to COP29 as a ready partner.

We fully understand the importance and urgency of collective climate action.

In addition to helping drive needed international efforts such as the tripling of renewables and protecting 30% of lands and waters by 2030, Canada is also taking bold domestic actions to ensure we are building a strong future with abundant clean energy and healthy ecosystems.

But to do this, we must unlock unprecedented levels of finance – from all sources.

Canada is working towards a transformative New Collective Quantified Goal for climate finance to take us through the next decade and to support those most effected by the climate crisis, in particular Small Island Developing States (SIDSs) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs).  

A goal anchored by public support that includes private finance mobilized and acknowledges efforts from other contributors.

A goal that supports accessible investments that help communities adapt to climate change and promotes debt reform.

Collectively, we must mobilize trillions - and this is our opportunity.

That is what Canada is hearing from our partners.    

Developing nations, in particular Small Island Developing States (SIDSs) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), are telling us what they need to make this work.

They are telling us they need more finance, better access to funds, and reduced debt burden.

That's one reason why Canada announced at the beginning of COP29, GAIA, a public and private finance initiative where 70% of projects will support adaptation.

That's why we helped launch the Climate Finance Access Network at COP26, and why Canada is working with partners to advance the Bridgetown Initiative.

Excellencies – communities back home expect that COP29 will underscore and advance mitigation action while providing support to those who need it most. 

All major economies—including Canada—must do more to keep the 1.5-degree-Celsius target within reach. 

We need our next Nationally Determined Contributions to be ambitious and economy wide.

We urgently need to implement mitigation actions including those agreed at COP28 and the Global Stocktake.

For Canada this includes phasing out coal, scaling up renewables, slashing methane emissions, pricing pollution, and putting in place a strong framework to reduce emissions, while spurring innovation and economic growth for industries and sectors with high mitigation potential.

The oil and gas pollution cap and methane regulations aim to do just that.

This directly responds to the COP28 GST outcomes.

We are working with countries and partners around the world to accelerate the global shift to a clean economy, to conserve and protect our environment for future generations. 

And in ways that respect and protect human rights, workers' rights, and the rights of Indigenous Peoples – and are implemented in a just, inclusive, intergenerational manner all while protecting women's rights.

Because climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution are interlinked – and not confined by national borders.

The choices we make, at COP29, will define what lies ahead for the many generations to come.  

Let us be on the right side of history, and build a safer, more secure and healthier planet for all. 

Thank you. 

SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada