By Marta Alcalde, Founder of The Tree Legacy Society and International Policy Analyst
On April 28, 2025, Canadians will cast their votes in a federal election that transcends ordinary politics. This election represents a critical crossroads—not merely for Canada, but for global climate leadership. With the United States stepping back under President Trump’s renewed isolationism, Canada now faces a historic responsibility and opportunity to fill this leadership vacuum. It is our moral imperative to seize this moment decisively.
Investing in nature and climate resilience isn’t just an environmental imperative—it’s a powerful economic strategy essential for Canada’s long-term stability and global leadership. Healthy ecosystems underpin agricultural productivity, freshwater availability, and natural disaster mitigation, safeguarding economies from devastating climate-related disruptions. By prioritizing nature and climate action, Canada can set a new global standard for prosperity rooted in ecological integrity.
The Moral and Economic Imperative of Climate Action
Leading on climate action is no longer optional—it’s essential to national and international security, economic stability, and human survival. Climate-driven economic disruptions, mass migration, and global food and water crises loom ominously unless swift action is taken. As the U.S. retreats into isolation, the international community urgently needs a credible leader. Canada, with its reputation for fairness, stability, and innovation, is uniquely positioned to fulfill this critical role.
The choice we make in April will echo far beyond our borders. Canada has the power to lead the world into a safer, more sustainable future. Now is the time for boldness, clarity, and unwavering resolve.
Nature’s Warning: An Invisible Crisis Unfolding
The climate crisis is accelerating rapidly, but we remain dangerously unaware of another catastrophe unfolding: the collapse of natural ecosystems. Historically, forests and oceans absorbed over half of humanity’s carbon emissions. Today, deforestation in regions from the Amazon rainforest to Australia’s Queensland is so severe that these ecosystems have transitioned from carbon sinks to carbon emitters. This reversal is fueling global climate instability, directly threatening food security, water availability, and economic stability worldwide.
Annually, a staggering $7 trillion continues to subsidize industries responsible for deforestation, ocean degradation, and ecosystem destruction. In stark contrast, global investments in nature-based solutions—critical for climate mitigation—remain negligible, totalling only $200 billion annually. This enormous funding gap perpetuates a growing “nature debt,” driving vulnerable nations deeper into poverty, instability, and environmental collapse.
How Canada Must Lead
As a nation known for diplomacy and multilateral cooperation, Canada must champion bold reforms within international financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
Developing countries face an untenable dilemma: mounting debts prevent them from investing in climate resilience, while the increasing frequency of extreme weather events plunges them deeper into financial hardship. This vicious cycle threatens global economic stability and demands immediate, systemic reform. Canada’s leadership can push for critical changes such as:
- Recognition of climate resilience projects as economically productive investments within IMF debt sustainability analyses, unlocking essential funding.
- Integration of climate risks and resilience investments into macroeconomic and fiscal projections, ensuring vulnerable nations receive fair credit ratings.
- Development of innovative, anticipatory disaster-financing mechanisms and insurance products that preemptively address climate shocks.
These reforms are not merely economically prudent—they are necessary to stabilize international markets and sustain global economic prosperity.
Immediate Actionable Roadmap for Canada’s Leadership
Canada must assert its climate leadership at key international events this year:
- 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (June 30-July 3, 2025, Seville, Spain): Canada must spearhead proposals for robust reforms of global financial frameworks, linking financing directly to measurable climate-resilience outcomes.
- G20 Summit (2025, South Africa): Canada must actively support ambitious proposals for debt restructuring and climate financing, championing policies that dramatically lower borrowing costs for vulnerable nations and mobilize significant international resources for climate resilience.
- COP30 in Brazil (November 10-21, 2025): This conference represents a crucial opportunity for Canada to lead by example, committing substantial funding to climate resilience and setting ambitious, transparent targets. Canada’s leadership here could catalyze broader global commitments, reinforcing its position as an international climate policy leader.
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Sources & Further Reading
- Canada Election and Candidates Overview:
- Canada’s Carbon Pricing Debate:
- G20 Climate Finance Priorities (South Africa Presidency):
- 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (Seville, Spain):
- United Nations Climate Change Conference COP30 (Belém, Brazil):