Canada’s emissions data from 2021 shows a promising trend


ByKaren Graham
PublishedFebruary 26, 2023


In addition to emissions reduction efforts, which prevent new CO₂ from entering the atmosphere, climate scientists agree that removing historic and unavoidable emissions from air is crucial to limit global warming to 1.5°C Source - Climeworks

Canada’s carbon emissions increased in 2021 over the previous year’s amount but were still below pre-pandemic norms.

A new report released by the Canadian Climate Institute, says emissions in the country in 2021 were up 2.8 percent from the previous year, but down 6.7 percent from 2005 levels.

CTV News Canada is reporting that the data shows that Canada generated 691 megatonnes (Mt) of emissions in 2021, slightly more than in 2020 as a result of restrictions due to COVID-19.

This indicates a trend known as “decoupling,” a separation between economic growth and carbon emissions, according to the report, which shows that emissions per unit of economic output have dropped by 27.5 percent since 2005.

While the rise in economic activity from 2020 to 2021 increased emissions by 32 megatonnes (Mt), improvements in energy decarbonization and energy efficiency contributed to a net overall increase of only 19 Mt.

The institute’s principal economist, Dave Sawyer, said the “good news” is that emissions did not “bounce back” when COVID-19 lockdowns lifted, reports CBC Canada.

“It’s roughly a good news story that, yes, there is more activity coming out of COVID, but policy drivers and market drivers are working to keep emissions down,” said Sawyer.”They are lower than they would have been otherwise.”

While the news is promising, the trends observed for 2021 need to accelerate significantly for Canada to achieve the 2030 target.

And as the report points out, it is still imperative that quick and effective implementation of the federal government’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan, along with provincial and territorial action, will be instrumental to driving the scale of progress required this decade.

By 2030, the federal government aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the economy to between 40 and 45 percent of 2005 levels, and by 2050, Canada aims to reduce emissions to net zero.