THE Scottish Government is set to announce the doubling of a climate fund aimed at benefitting the poorest countries in the world.

Ahead of a debate on climate change in Holyrood today, Net Zero Secretary Michael Matheson has said the climate justice fund will increase from £3 million to £6m until the end of this parliamentary term.

The fund was set up in 2012 and has, among other initiatives, provided £3.2m to rural communities in Malawi to help them mitigate the impact of climate change.

Matheson said: “With COP26 coming to Glasgow, this is a pivotal year for making sure countries in the global south have the support they need to tackle climate change. That’s why we are doubling our financial support for some of the world’s most vulnerable nations.

“Scotland is already more than halfway to net zero but to play our full role, we must also be an ally to the nations most urgently impacted by climate change.

“By doubling our funding for those countries, we will provide much-needed support for those that, while making up only a fraction of the world’s emissions, are already feeling the effects severely.”

Jamie Livingstone, the head of Oxfam Scotland, said: “Right now, across the world, people are losing their lives and homes to climate change.

“This announcement by the Scottish Government is a very welcome and timely acknowledgement that faster action to reduce our emissions must be accompanied by an urgent scaling up of the financial support given to vulnerable countries that are not only the least responsible for the climate crisis, but also the least equipped to cope with it.”