Canada's emissions up in 2022, but "on track" for 2030 target: government May 4, 2024

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By AFP - Agence France Presse

Canada's emissions up in 2022, but "on track" for 2030 target: government

Canada's greenhouse gas emissions rose in 2022 from a pandemic drop the year before but were still 7.1 percent below a 2005 benchmark, a government report showed Thursday.

Total annual emissions - including carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases - were 708 megatonnes of CO2 equivalent or 7.1% below revised 2005 levels.

"The report shows that Canada remains on track to meet our 2026 emissions reduction targets and on track for 2030," said Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault at a press conference.

Canada has committed to reducing emissions by 40-45% below 2005 levels by the end of the decade.

The government's report, however, showed that emissions increased in 2021 as the economy recovered from the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with increases in the transportation sector, the construction and housing sector, and parts of the oil and gas sector.

Guilbeault acknowledged the rise in emissions but insisted that the overall trend was slowing.

The report showed that despite the total increase in emissions in 2022, one metric of emissions per GDP continued to decrease steadily.

The oil and gas sector remained by far Canada's biggest emitter, responsible for 217 megatonnes of CO2 equivalent, or 31% of total emissions, according to the annual report.

Next came the transportation sector, which is undergoing a major transformation with the push for electric vehicles, with 156 megatonnes, or 22% of the total.

The energy sector, meanwhile, was the biggest driver of CO2 reductions, thanks to the phasing out of coal-fired power plants.

Guilbeault said that the government would continue to "keep up the momentum with new measures, such as a cap on oil and gas emissions and investments in electric vehicle supply chains".

Canada has attracted several automotive giants, such as Honda, Volkswagen, and Stellantis, to set up electric vehicle and battery factories in the country by offering billions of dollars in incentives.

Guilbeault said that draft regulations on limiting emissions from the oil and gas sector would be unveiled "by the fall" of this year.

amc/des