Canada’s Emissions Decrease Last Year, Still Short of Paris Goals
Canada saw a drop in emissions last year, but it remains far from meeting its Paris Agreement targets for 2030
Canada, Emissions, Greenhouse Gases, Paris Agreement, Climate Change, Ottawa
Ottawa: So, guess what? Canada actually managed to cut its greenhouse gas emissions last year for the first time since the pandemic hit. But hold on, it’s still not close to hitting those Paris Agreement targets for 2030.
The feds dropped a preliminary report that showed emissions fell by six million tonnes compared to 2022. That’s like taking 1.4 million cars off the road for a year. Pretty wild, right?
Under the Paris deal, Canada promised to slash emissions by 40 to 45 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. As of now, they’re down about 8.5 percent. So, there’s still a long way to go.
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault is feeling optimistic, saying the report shows their plan is working. He mentioned that thanks to Canadians, pollution is at its lowest in over 27 years, excluding those pandemic years.
He also pointed out that they’re supporting industries that create jobs while helping folks save money in their daily lives. Sounds good, right?
The report revealed that emissions in 2023 hit 694 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, which is about the same as in 2021 when COVID-19 was still a big deal.
They also revised some previous numbers, which is normal as science gets better at measuring pollution. Now, Canada’s new target for 2030 is to keep emissions below 455 million tonnes.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May chimed in, saying carbon pricing is starting to make a dent in emissions. But she also noted that while it’s a step in the right direction, it’s still way off from what’s really needed.
There was a slight uptick in emissions from transportation, but that was balanced out by drops in the oil and gas sector, agriculture, and buildings.
However, a recent report from the federal Environment Commissioner said Canada is still not on track to meet its Paris commitments. And this latest report didn’t even include the draft regulations on oil and gas that just came out, which won’t kick in until 2026.
So, while there’s some progress, it looks like Canada has a lot more work to do to meet those climate goals.