The Environment and Climate Change Agency of Canada submitted its 2020 National Census Report on Emissions to the United Nations on Thursday. It shows that total emissions in 2020 amounted to 672 megatons, from 738 megatons in 2019. The numbers of the nation in 2019 increased by 8 megatons to 738 megatons to take into account changes in methodology. The emissions report is usually several years late and is usually published annually in April. The report shows that total emissions fell by 66 megatons by 2020, which “equates to the removal of 20 million cars from the road,” Environment Minister Steven Gilbo said in a statement. The report warns that 2020 could be a temporary blow. “This is the first report to track the impact of the pandemic on broadcasts in Canada,” Guilbeault said. “So we have to be careful that overall emissions are likely to recover to some degree as the Canadian economy recovers.” The federal government’s plan is to reduce emissions by 40 to 45 percent from 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The report shows that Canada’s economy can grow without increasing carbon emissions. The country’s GDP grew by 22 percent between 2005 and 2020, but carbon emissions fell by 9.3 percent during this period. “This report confirms the continuing disconnect between the Canadian economy and its emissions performance,” Guilbeault said in a statement. “In other words, Canada is showing the world how we can do more while infecting less.” The analysis of emissions by sector of the report shows that the largest emitter of the country, the oil and gas sector, saw its number decrease in 2020 from 203 to 179 megatons. Transport – another high-emission sector – fell from 185 megatons to 159 megatons. Guilbeault said the cuts were “largely” due to Canadians avoiding flights and driving due to lockdowns, which in turn reduced demand for oil and gas. Watch | Environment’s parliamentary secretary warns emissions could recover next year
Pandemic plays ‘absolutely’ role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, parliamentary secretary says
Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions fell for the second year in a row in 2020 – the first year of the pandemic, when many Canadians stayed home in response to mandatory lockdowns. That’s good news, said Julie Dabrusin, a parliamentary secretary of the environment ministry, but warned that next year was unlikely to fall so sharply. 0:36
Meanwhile, emissions from the agricultural sector increased from 67 megatons to 69 megatons in 2020.
“Nevertheless, there are also real signs of progress in the data,” said Guillebeault, citing the phasing out of coal-fired electricity across the country.
None of the provinces or regions increased their total emissions, although Manitoba did not see any change. Alberta remains the country’s largest source of pollution among the provinces, followed by Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan.
The report improves the methodology
The report included a number of methodological improvements that led to better estimates of Canadian emissions in recent years. Total emissions for 2019, for example, were revised to 738 megatons from 730 megatons. Better methane emissions estimates have played a large role in this improvement. Colorless, odorless gas accounts for 14 percent of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions and leaks from oil and gas equipment such as pipes and tanks. Canada has an ambitious plan to reduce methane emissions from the industry. Dave Risk heads FluxLab at St. Louis University. Francis Xavier in Nova Scotia, a research team studying methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. Her research last year showed that methane emissions were 1.5 times higher than the official Canadian census. “I think it is definitely a positive development that the census has been brought under control and is being revised and the methodology has been improved, because we know from field studies that we have a gap between what we measure in the field and what the census suggests. “Emissions actually are,” Risk said.
‘The right direction’
Better methane measurements help identify where the leaks are coming from and give the government a better sense of whether its regulations are working. The year 2020 was the first to see Canadian methane regulations come into force, and Risk said emission figures show that they work. “There have been many oil and gas producers who have been diligent in complying with regulations and correcting leaks and the like. Others may be less diligent,” he said. “But overall, it’s the first full year of regulation that has just been completed and things are definitely going in the right direction.”
