Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond on Wednesday announced that the Scottish government is to double its funding to help reduce the impact of climate change on the world's poorest communities.

In a pre-recorded video message delivered at Scotland's International Climate Justice Conference at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh, Salmond announced an extra 3 million pounds (about 4.8 million U.S. dollars) for the Climate Justice Fund, to increase community resilience to the impacts of climate change.

These new funds comes further to the initial 3-million-pound funding announced last year, which has supported water projects in Malawi and Zambia, and follows the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report highlighting the impact of climate change.

"By doubling the Climate Justice Fund we can provide genuine life-saving and life changing help to those communities," said Salmond, referring to his government's efforts for the fight against climate change, such as its ambitious emissions reduction and renewable targets.

Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who now campaigns around the world for climate justice, said, "With 2015 set as the deadline for both a new climate agreement and the post-2015 development agenda, we are at the point in human development when we need to act urgently to protect people and to create opportunities for all."

"Strong alliances between civil society, private sector and policy makers are needed that will provide demand for and leadership of a low carbon, climate resilient economy," she noted.

The one-day conference brought together around 150 representatives of civil society, the public and private sector to collaborate on climate justice, complementing the economic case for a swift transition to a low carbon economy. Endi

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