Canada is committed to providing young Canadians with the knowledge and skills they need to better understand and cope with the triple threat of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, announced that the Government of Canada will invest $12.5 million from the Environmental Damages Fund's Climate Action and Awareness Fund in an innovative partnership with the philanthropic community to help grow environmental literacy across Canada. The funding will support projects that will increase the scientific knowledge and environmental literacy of young Canadians, their educators, and families, as part of the long-term solutions to tackle climate change. A portion of the funding will be dedicated to Indigenous-led initiatives.
To boost the value of this investment, Environment and Climate Change Canada is partnering with several philanthropic organizations that are committing to matching the Government of Canada's funding of eligible projects. Strong collaborations with trusted partners in the field of environmental education and literacy will help make long-term gains in tackling climate change and biodiversity loss.
Environmental literacy is a significant-and often overlooked-part of mitigation and adaptation solutions to climate change. Funded projects will develop knowledge, tools, and/or skills for young Canadians, their families, and their educators with the overall goals of equipping youth for the future and supporting Canada's goals for climate action, such as achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
To be eligible for funding, projects must align with one of the following four priorities: greening learning spaces, developing learning materials and opportunities, integrating environmental education into teacher training and educator professional development, or improving research on environmental literacy and its impacts. Expressions of interest will be accepted through the Grants and Contributions Enterprise Management System until October 31, 2023.
