Canada’s National Inventory Report 1990 – 2019 (NIR) was released yesterday and published to the website of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (click here to download all 3 parts). The NIR indicates that Canada’s 2019 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were up, not down, as compared to 2018 data.
Key points. The NIR highlights the following key points:
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Canada’s GHG emissions were 730 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2e) in 2019, about a 1 Mt CO2e (or 0.2%) increase from 2018 emissions and a net decrease of 9 Mt CO2e (or 1.1%) from 2005 emissions.
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Emission trends since 2005 have remained consistent, with emission increases in the oil and gas and transport sectors being offset by decreases in other sectors, notably electricity and heavy industry.
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The federal government’s new climate plan (the Plan) has resulted in emissions in 2030 being projected to be 227 Mt CO2e lower than prior to the adoption of the Plan. Once fully implemented, the Plan is expected to reduce Canada’s emissions by at least an additional 85 Mt CO2e, enabling Canada to exceed its current 2030 target.
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The NIR indicates that “Canada can strive for a range of 32-40% below 2005 levels” and confirms the federal government’s intention to bring forward an updated nationally determined contribution (NDC) before COP 26 in November 2021. Canada is expected to announce an enhanced 2030 target for its NDC prior to the Leaders’ Climate Summit to be hosted by President Joe Biden next Thursday (April 22, 2021). Canada’s current NDC commits to reducing GHG emissions to 30% below 2005 levels by 2030.
Emissions by sector. The NIR provides a breakdown of Canada’s GHG emissions by economic sector for 2019:
Emissions by province and territory. The NIR also provides GHG emissions by province and territory for selected years:
For more information or to discuss the contents of this bulletin, please contact Lisa DeMarco at lisa@resilientllp.com.
