Posted at 3:20 p.m.
672 million tons
Canada emitted 672 million tonnes (Mt) of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in 2020. This is 66 Mt less than in 2019, which corresponds to a decrease of 8.9%. Compared to emissions in 2005, the decrease is 9.3%. Canada has committed to reducing its emissions by 40-45% by 2030 from their 2005 level. This drop is largely attributable to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, recognizes Ottawa, which warns that emissions “are likely to rebound” with the resumption of economic activities.
Decline in transport
The transportation sector alone is responsible for more than a third of Canada’s GHG emissions decline in 2020, with a decrease of 26 Mt (12%). The decline is particularly marked in the road transport (22 Mt, or 14%) and air transport (3.8 Mt, or 44%) sub-sectors. With emissions totaling 190 Mt, the transportation sector is Canada’s second largest contributor to global warming, behind the oil and gas sector at 300 Mt, down 22 Mt (7%).
Downward trend
A first and modest drop of 2 Mt was observed a year ago in the 2019 emissions inventory, before the pandemic, and Ottawa estimates that this downward trend would have continued even without the pandemic. The federal government points to the reduction of 7 Mt in the electricity generation sector, due to the phase-out of coal in 2020, particularly in Alberta, as well as the drop of 16 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO eq.2) methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, i.e. 24%.
Canadians remain among the worst polluters
The decline in Canada’s total emissions consequently resulted in a decline in per capita emissions, which stood at 17.7 tonnes in 2020, compared to 19.6 in 2019. In 2005, Canadian emissions per capita were 23 tonnes . Despite this decline, Canadians remain among the worst polluters on the planet, with per capita emissions comparable to those of Saudi Arabia (18.9 tonnes) and the United States (17.7 tonnes), according to the open data site Climate Watch (2018 data).
Similar decline in Quebec
Quebec’s GHG emissions fell from 84 Mt to 76 Mt from 2019 to 2020, federal inventory data show, which is equivalent to a 9.5% drop. Quebec publishes its own inventory about eight months after the federal government’s, with generally similar results. Manitoba is the only province whose emissions did not fall in 2020, stagnating at 22 Mt. Ontario fell from 166 to 150 Mt, a decrease of 9.6%, while Alberta is dropped from 279 to 256 Mt, a decrease of 8.2%.