Manya Rathore
Research expert covering India
GHG emissions in Canada - statistics & facts
Canadians are among the biggest carbon polluters in the world, emitting the second-highest per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions among OECD countries in 2022. The country was also the 11th biggest COâ‚‚ emitter worldwide that year, having produced 1.5 percent of total global COâ‚‚ emissions. As part of its Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP), Canada has committed to cut GHG emissions by 40 to 45 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels, on its pathway to net zero by 2050. However, achieving these targets has already proven challenging.
Though Canada has made moderate progress in cutting its emissions in recent years, the country is not yet on track to meet its 2030 target, according to 2023 projections.
Greenhouse emissions progress in Canada
Canada’s total GHG emissions are estimated to have risen 2.1 percent in 2022, to 685 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e). Despite this increase, Canada’s emissions have fallen by roughly six percent compared with 2005 levels. The electric power industry has been the biggest contributor to these reductions, with emissions from this sector falling by around 56 percent since 2005, primarily due to the shift away from coal-fired power.What is Canada’s largest source of emissions?
Canada’s largest source of GHG emissions is the country’s oil and gas industry. Between 2005 and 2022, emissions from this sector grew 15 percent to more than 190 MtCO2e. This accounted for 28 percent of total emissions that year. Canada’s biggest GHG polluters are mostly projects in Alberta’s vast Oil Sands, with the Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil-owned Kearl Oil Sands Project the country’s largest overall emitter in 2022. Production and other activities on the Oil Sands are the primary reasons why Alberta is by far Canada's most polluting province. Another major source of emissions that is of growing concern is forest fires. In 2023, carbon emissions from wildfires across Canada hit a record-high of almost 500 megatons, accounting for almost one-quarter of total global wildfire emissions that year.Can Canada reach its emissions targets?
As part of the ERP, various climate targets have been set for Canada’s economic sectors, including a 31 percent reduction in oil and gas emissions by 2030 from 2005 levels. However, rising emissions from this polluting sector are undermining Canada’s climate ambitions. To address this, the Government of Canada announced plans to introduce a cap-and-trade system for oil and gas companies as early as 2026 in a bid to cut the sector’s emissions by up to 38 percent by 2030 from 2019 levels.Though Canada has made moderate progress in cutting its emissions in recent years, the country is not yet on track to meet its 2030 target, according to 2023 projections.
