Greenhouse emissions mounting: report

The latest greenhouse-gas inventory from Environment Canada shows that after a slight dip in 2004-2006, Canada's total emissions took off again, thanks largely to Alberta's oilsands, an increase in the number of vehicles on the road, and greater reliance on coal-fired electricity.

"Long-term growth remains significant," says an Environment Canada summary report, showing the country's emissions are 33.8 per cent above Canada's Kyoto commitment.

The figures are based on the 2009 national inventory report that Environment Canada quietly filed last week with the United Nations to meet its international reporting obligations. The full 673-page inventory is available on the UN's website and shows Canada has the dubious distinction of having its emissions climb more since 1990 than any other G8 nation.

Canada ranks "first among the G8 nations" for increasing emissions, the report notes, even though Canada had committed to cut them. It notes that while Canada's emissions have soared, Germany chopped its emissions by 18 per cent between 1990 and 2006, and the United Kingdom slashed its by 15 per cent.

"We're laggards and obstructionists," said climatologist Andrew Weaver at the University of Victoria who, like many scientists and environmentalists, has been urging the Canadian government to cut emissions for years.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he is committed to fighting climate change, and his government two years ago launched Turning the Corner: An Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gases by 20 per cent by 2020.

Weaver and other critics see little hope of the country living up to the commitment, given the Harper government's enthusiasm for the oilsands.

"They're turning the corner all right, but they are turning the wrong way," said Weaver, pointing to the renewed upward trend in Canada's emissions.

This 2009 Environment Canada inventory covers 1990 to 2007, the most recent year that details on human-induced greenhouse gas emissions are available.

It says total greenhouse gas emissions in Canada in 2007 were 747 megatonnes, an increase of four per cent from 2006 levels. That means Canada's emissions in 2007 were about 26 per cent above the 1990 total of 592 megatonnes, and 33.8 per cent above Canada's Kyoto target.

Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and are widely believed to help drive climate change.

Alberta is responsible for the biggest jump in emissions since 1990, but Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Ontario also have seen emissions climb much more than other provinces, the report says.

-- Canwest News Service

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 21, 2009 A9