This text is taken from the “Courrier de la planete” of May 24, 2022. To subscribe, click here.
When compared to Alberta, Quebec does well in terms of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Its per capita emissions are nearly seven times lower. However, the parallel suffers from important limits: it goes without saying that a province whose economy is based on oil and natural gas emits a lot of carbon.
What if we compared Quebec to countries whose geography, population, economy and climate are similar? This is the excellent question posed by Jean-Pierre Sirard, a reader of the Courrier de la Planète, who suggests the example of Sweden.
The Scandinavian kingdom is a country of 10 million inhabitants, abundantly forested, with a seasonal climate, having a large territory, considerable financial means and a state model based on social democracy. In 2019, its GHG emissions per capita (5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent) were half those of Quebec (9.9 tonnes).
(Note that these numbers do not include emissions associated with land-use change and forestry. Emissions from international transport and imports are also not included.)
Lower emissions
A detailed examination reveals that Sweden’s emissions, weighted by its population, are lower than those of Quebec in almost all sectors — industry, agriculture, waste, transportation, etc.
Electricity is an exception: Quebec and Sweden both have very low-carbon electricity. Sweden is also the European Union country whose electricity emits the least GHGs per kilowatt hour. It relies mainly on hydroelectricity (45%), nuclear (30%) and wind power (17%).
In terms of transport (32% of Sweden’s total emissions), motor vehicles weigh the heaviest in the balance. In 2018, road transport generated emissions of 1.5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per inhabitant. In Quebec, we are talking about 3.4 tonnes per capita.
It should be noted that public and active transport are popular in Sweden. In 2014-2015, 15% of daily trips were made by public transit (mainly by bus), 29% on foot or by bicycle, and 54% by car. (In 2010, in Quebec, 80% of people typically traveled by car).
In addition, cars, essential in the Swedish countryside, are undergoing rapid electrification. In recent months, more than half of new motor vehicles sold in Sweden have been electric or plug-in hybrids. Cars with internal combustion engines will be banned from 2030.
As for emissions from the industrial sector (32% of the total in Sweden), they have fallen by 19% in 30 years. The steel, mineral and refinery industries are significant emitters. Since 1990, the pulp and paper industry has been the industry that has reduced its emissions the most, thanks to a switch to biogas and electricity.
Agriculture and waste
Sweden’s agriculture (13% of total emissions) emits only a little less GHG per capita than that of Quebec. Its emissions have fallen by a tenth in three decades, mainly due to the reduction in the number of farm animals and less use of mineral fertilizers, according to the Swedish Ministry of the Environment.
Waste-related emissions (2% of the total in Sweden) have fallen by two-thirds in thirty years. They are currently 100 kg of CO2 equivalent per person, per year – eight times less than those of Quebecers.
Waste produces GHGs in part because landfills emit methane. However, Sweden burns almost all of its garbage in order to produce energy, in particular to heat neighborhoods in winter. Compost is also used to produce biogas.
On the legislative side, Sweden was one of the first countries in the world to impose a carbon tax, in 1991. This tax now amounts to 1200 crowns per tonne of CO2, or $155. At the last Quebec/California market auctions, a tonne of carbon sold for $37. In the provinces where it applies, the Canadian federal tax is $50 per tonne.
Finally, it should be noted that, since 2018, Sweden has had a “climate law” which details its approach to achieving its carbon neutrality objective in 2045. The current plan includes 132 elements. Even before this initiative, a lot of ground had been covered: Sweden has reduced its emissions by 33% since 1990. Those of Quebec have fallen by only 3%.