Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson and Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault pledged to eliminate coal fired power in this country by 2030 at a G7 meeting in Japan this weekend, even as it became clear that Canada’s own commitments to reducing emissions are sorely lacking..Even as they were pushing countries like Japan to retire their coal fired power fleets — something it is reluctant to do in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima earthquake — Canada’s own emissions rose about 1.8% to 670 megatonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2021, up from 659 megatonnes in 2020..In a news release the department of Environment and Climate Change attributed the increase to a post-pandemic bounce but insisted the country remains on track for a 40-45% reduction from 2005 limits by 2030.. 23096.04-Canada's GHG emission by sources graph_V01 .In a statement, Guilbeault said the increase was “smaller than originally expected..“Environment and Climate Change Canada predicted there would be an increase in emissions in 2021 due to 2020's sudden COVID-19 economic slowdown that caused emissions to drop sharply. But emissions have stayed significantly below pre-pandemic levels. In fact, this means we are almost a quarter of the way to our 2030 emissions reduction goal.”.Not surprising, oil and gas was tagged as the main offender for the increase, as Canadians drove more as pandemic restrictions were lifted. Overall oil and gas sector represented about 28% of Canada's emissions. .Nonetheless, methane emissions were down by 21% or 15 megatonnes since 2005, which Guilbeault called “a noteworthy achievement,” even though oil and natural gas production increased..As far as electricity goes, the country's electricity grid is now about 85% non-emitting. The growth of renewable energy and Canada's progress on phasing out coal-fired electricity has seen emissions from the electricity sector decrease by 64 megatonnes between 2005 and 2021. . ES- figures-2022 Pt1 .The latest data shows a 16% decrease in residential emissions with less home heating oil being used, as many Canadians take steps to improve their home's energy efficiency, making the switch to heat pumps, solar, and other cleaner options..Although transportation sector emissions were up, the environment department said Canada's increasingly tough tailpipe pollution regulations and complementary measures like incentives for zero-emission vehicles continue to cut emissions and increase the electrification of new vehicles coming to market. In 2021, the average new light-duty vehicle had 25–35% lower greenhouse gas emissions than new 2011 vehicles, and last year's sales data confirmed zero-emission vehicles make up almost 10% of all new car sales..Since 2015, when the Trudeau Liberals were first elected, the federal government has spent over $120 billion to support climate action. Further measures in last month’s budget — representing the single biggest package of climate commitments in Canada's history — will push that figure north of $200 billion. .The emissions report was filed to the UN on April 15 under Canada’s commitments to the Paris Accord..It also happened to coincide with the meeting of G7 environment ministers in Japan, where member countries stopped short of endorsing a motion advanced by Canada to phase out coal powered electricity by 2030. It also left the door open for continued investment in natural gas generation, something both Giebeault and Wilkinson were reported disappointed over..Instead, they agreed to accelerated the phase out of “unabated fossil fuels” without technology to capture CO2 emissions and to shoot for net-zero by 2050 at the latest. Japan, which imports virtually all of its energy, wants to maintain a limited clean coal capacity and keep LNG as a primary fuel for at least the next 15 years..The G7 members also vowed to eliminate plastics by 2040.
