Canada giving $10M to global coalition to reduce pollutants like soot, methane

WASHINGTON – The federal government is putting another $10 million into a global coalition to reduce short-lived climate pollutants — substances such as soot, methane and hydrofluorocarbons that emit greenhouse gases.

Environment Minister Peter Kent announced the funding in Washington after meeting with other major emitters.

Kent says it is the biggest contribution to date to the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, a small group of countries that is taking aim at the low-hanging fruit in the world of emissions reductions.

But the money comes from a $1.2-billion pot that Canada had already earmarked for developing countries under the Copenhagen Accord to slow down climate change.

Canada has been under intense pressure to add to that $1.2 billion, since that money was meant as Canada’s contribution for 2009 to 2012.