Question Period Note: Nature-Based Climate Solutions

Canada is investing over $5 billion in nature-based climate solutions to help tackle the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. The Natural Climate Solutions Fund is helping to plant two billion trees and restore and improve the management of wetlands, grasslands, forests and agricultural lands.

• Nature is core to our identities as Canadians, and it is essential to address challenges like climate change and pollution.
• Canada is investing in nature-based solutions to help tackle the triple crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
• Nature-based solutions reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect and recover biodiversity, and make us more resilient to the impacts of climate change, all while enhancing human health and well-being. These investments will help to conserve and restore wetlands, peatlands, grasslands, and forests, and improve management practices on agricultural lands and forests.

• To address climate change and biodiversity loss, the Government of Canada has established the Natural Climate Solutions Fund that will invest over $5 billion from 2021-2031. The Natural Climate Solutions Fund consists of three distinct, but related programs: 2 Billion Trees Program led by Natural Resources Canada ($3.19 billion); the Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund led by Environment and Climate Change Canada ($1.41 billion); and the Agricultural Climate Solutions led by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada ($889 million). As part of the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan, these programs aim to provide substantial emissions reductions (7 to 10 Mt of CO2e annually in 2030 and 16-20 Mt of CO2e annually in 2050) while also providing important co-benefits for human well-being and biodiversity.
• The Natural Climate Solutions Fund also supports Indigenous Nations, communities, and organizations to engage as leaders in natural climate solutions. Indigenous-led projects are meant to build capacity and undertake on-the-ground activities for ecological restoration, improved land management, and conservation. These activities aim to effectively sequester carbon and maximize co-benefits for biodiversity, climate resiliency, and human well-being. This fund has allocated over $26.5 million, and also further supports the Government of Canada’s commitment to Reconciliation.
• The Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund led by Environment and Climate Change Canada is a
$1.4 billion, ten-year fund to reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 by 5-7 megatonnes and continue this reduction to 2050. The fund will achieve this by supporting projects that reduce the loss, restore, or improve the management of ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, peatlands, and grasslands. The fund started in 2021 and has already allocated over $362 million to partners in contribution agreements.
• The Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund further aligns with and contributes to Canada’s international goals and commitments, including the Paris Agreement (Nationally Determined Contributions) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

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