Couillard makes impassioned plea to tackle climate change

The planet is on the verge of a tipping point and urgent measures are required to fight climate change, Premier Philippe Couillard told an international conference in Iceland Friday.

Couillard made the comments as one of the first speakers at the third annual Article Circle conference, which is being attended by 1,800 participants from 50 countries. 

• Energy, climate change on agenda as eastern premiers, governors meet
• Mexico is interested in Quebec's cap-and-trade carbon market

Couillard, speaking exclusively in French with simultaneous translation, gave a preview of his speech at the much-anticipated United Nations Climate Change Conference in December, a meeting that is expected to determine international policy in coming years. 

The conference in Paris is expected to see countries commit to keep global warming increases below two degrees Celcius. 

Couillard described climate change as "already a reality" and said that temperatures could rise in northern Quebec from 2.8 C to 5.8 C by 2050.

He said that it is "imperative" that all countries unite for an international climate control project in Paris.

Relying on science

In a briefing afterwards, Couillard stressed that despite overall cutbacks, his government invested $3 million in the Nordic Institute, a research group for sustainable development of Quebec's north, part of the Plan Nord.

"We cannot fund all sectors. We must choose our priorities," he said. "As the Plan Nord is one of our top priorities, its scientific and academic component should be supported and we will continue to support it. We need science to guide our decisions."

Official figures indicate that provincial funding for three major Nordic research programs was cut from $5.7 million in 2011-2012 to $5.2 million in 2013-2014.