DECEMBER 2023 15 The Government of Canada said that our total GHG emissions in 2021 were 670 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2 eq), which was a 1.8 percent increase from 659 Mt CO2 eq in 2020. But didn’t you say that it was 672 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2020—also data from the Government of Canada? Yes. That difference shows us that we went down by two megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. So how does Canada stack up against the rest of the industrialized world? We’re third! But not in a good way! In a 2021 report, 1.5-Degree Lifestyles: Towards A Fair Consumption Space for All, produced by the Berlin, Germany-based Hot or Cool Institute, it showed that of the 10 chosen countries, Canada lagged far behind in cutting our carbon emissions. The 10 countries analyzed were chosen for varying degrees of income levels: Canada, Finland, the United Kingdom, Japan, China, Turkey, South Africa, Brazil, India, and Indonesia. And Canada was the worst. However, Australia (the worst carbon emitter) and the United States of America (number two) were not even included in the German study. Is Canada the only country that has a carbon tax? No. Over 70 countries now have some form of carbon emissions taxation. Canada’s problem—globally speaking—is that it was late to the dance. Countries such as Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom were early proponents of reducing their GHG emissions well before we were. We’re just playing catch-up. Since 2019, every Canadian province has had a carbon tax fee through fuel charges and, for large industries, an output-based pricing system. While all provinces (not territories) are required to have a carbon tax system in place, it can be their own provincial version, or they are allowed to use the federal example. According to The Conference Board of Canada, when it comes to GHG emissions as of 2013—granted, this was 10 years ago—Canada’s per capita GHG emissions are very high, earning Canada a “D”—only the US and Australia fare worse. Alberta and Saskatchewan score a “D-” with much higher per capita GHG emissions than the worstranked peer country, Australia. New Brunswick was also higher (or worse) than the Canadian average, though it has its own provincial carbon tax levy. Québec received an “A” grade, placing seventh overall in the international report. Québec’s provincial carbon tax seems to be working quite well. Receiving a grade of “B” is British Columbia, a province that doesn’t pay a federal carbon tax because it set up its own provincial carbon tax in 2008. And, as of 2013—after five years of a provincial carbon tax—the province found that the ag industry there was not negatively impacted. And while Ontario was also a paying “B” recipient, it doesn’t explain why the D-graded New Brunswick is not paying. Statistics Canada said in a February 2023 report that Québec’s and British Columbia have the lowest per capita household GHG emissions among the provinces, while Atlantic Canada has some of the highest numbers. At 2.7 metric tons (MT) per capita, the provinces of Québec and British Columbia produced the lowest per capita household GHG emissions in 2020 among the provinces. Nunavut (0.9 metric tons), the Northwest Territories (2.9 MT), and Ontario (3.0 MT) were also below the national per capita level, while Manitoba (3.2 MT) matched it. Per capita household GHG emissions were highest in Saskatchewan (5.1 MT), Newfoundland and Labrador (5.0 MT), Prince Edward Island (4.9 MT), Nova Scotia (4.4 MT), and Alberta (4.4 MT). New Brunswick (3.7 MT) and Yukon (3.5 MT) were also above the national average. Among the provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador (+1.0 MT) had the largest increase in per capita household GHG emissions from 2009 to 2020, while Prince Edward Island (-2.5 MT) had the largest decline of all Canadian areas. What sectors are the biggest producers of GHG emissions per region? Households are the largest emitters in Central Canada. Both Ontario (29.6 percent) and Québec (28.4 percent) counted households as their greatest source of direct GHG emissions in 2020. Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills account for onefifth of emissions in British Columbia. Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills (20.5 percent) and households (18.7 percent) were the largest sources of GHG emissions in British Columbia in 2020. Crop and animal production are important contributors to GHG emissions in several provinces. In 2020, the crop and animal production industry accounted for the largest share of total GHG emissions in Manitoba (37.2 percent) and Saskatchewan (24.4 percent), and the second largest in Prince Edward Island (22.8
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