Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions fell to their lowest level in nearly three decades in 2020, as pandemic restrictions dramatically reduced car travel — and even grounded planes, for a while. months.
But a new, more accurate method of measuring methane emissions from the oil and gas industry means Canada has also emitted many more tonnes of GHGs than previously thought over the past 25 years.
This data comes to mitigate the some good news of the National Inventory Report of GHG emissions, presented by Ottawa Thursday at the United Nations.
Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault wrote in a statement that overall the 2020 emissions report is good news for the planet.
That year, Canada emitted 672 million tonnes of carbon dioxide or its equivalent in methane, nitrous oxide and other fluorocarbons, gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.
This is a reduction of 66 million tonnes, or almost 9%, from 2019. This is also roughly what is produced by 20 million passenger vehicles in a year, or by about eight out of 10 passenger vehicles in Canada.
“In the fight against climate change, progress is made step by step. And the report that we are presenting this year to the United Nations shows that Canada is on the right track,” said Minister Guilbeault on Thursday.
Far from new targets
However, there is still a long way to go to reach Canada’s new objective, which is now to reduce, by 2030, GHG emissions to no more than 60% of what they were in 2005. To achieve this objective, Canada will need to emit less than 445 million tonnes in 2030, compared to 672 million tonnes in 2020.
Emissions had not been lower than they were in 2020 since the mid-1990s. But Mr. Guilbeault warns that the sharp decline will not be maintained in 2021, as health measures have eased and activity economy has returned to some normality.
Emissions from road transportation had fallen by more than 14% by 2020, representing two-thirds of the total reduction in Canada. Emissions from the aviation sector have been cut by nearly half. Emissions also fell in the manufacturing and oil and gas extraction sectors, most of which can be attributed to pandemic-related shutdowns and slowdowns.
But not all of the declines in 2020 can be attributed to the pandemic alone. Alberta’s continued efforts to transition away from coal-fired power plants have helped reduce emissions from electricity and heat generation by more than 11% in 2020 — a reduction that will continue into the future. Alberta’s coal phase-out was supposed to be complete by 2030, but the province is seven years ahead of schedule.
Since 2005, total electricity and heat emissions have more than halved as all provinces phase out coal.
New methane calculation
Another big change in the 2020 report is the new method for calculating methane emissions.
This change is in line with standards set by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It was brought after numerous studies which showed that methane leaks from oil and gas production sites were higher than previously believed.
Adjustments have also been made to the way emissions from agricultural land are accounted for.
The changes were applied not only for 2020, but the revised emissions go back to 2005. Between 2015 and 2019, the adjustments mean that Canada emitted 47 million tonnes more than previously thought.
Minister Guilbeault believes, however, that ongoing efforts to reduce methane leaks are showing progress and are on track to meet the goal of reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by at least 40% by 2025. compared to 2012 levels.
The change also showed that instead of increasing in 2019, as previously thought, emissions have actually started to decline.