Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions reached their lowest level in 25 years in 2022, excluding the two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, reveals the federal government’s most recent National Inventory Report, published Thursday.
The country thus emitted 708 million tonnes (Mt) of greenhouse gases (GHG), a decrease of 5.9% compared to 752 Mt in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
This is nevertheless an increase compared to the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, which recorded sharp declines in GHG emissions, but this increase is lower than what was anticipated by Ottawa and the Climate Institute of Canada. .
“Stationary combustion sources” remain the sector that emitted the most GHGs in the country in 2022, at 43%, followed by transportation, at 28%.
“Fugitive sources”, mainly coming from the oil and gas sector and mainly composed of methane (CH4), alone represent 11% of Canadian emissions, making it the third largest sector.
The agriculture sector, the fourth largest with 7.9% of emissions, is the only one to have recorded an increase in its GHGs compared to 2019, going from 52 to 54 Mt – an increase of 37 Mt is also attributed land use changes, a separate category.
The decline in Canadian emissions in 2022 compared to 2019 is largely attributable to a marked drop in emissions in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario.
Quebec’s emissions also decreased, according to the federal inventory, going from 82 Mt to 79 Mt.
However, Alberta’s emissions are up sharply from their 2005 level, and are by far the largest in the country, accounting for more than a third of the total.
Emissions for 2022 represent a decrease of 7.1% compared to those of 2005, which is Canada’s base year for calculating its reduction target of 40 to 45% by 2030.