Despite Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault's assertions of emission reductions, national greenhouse gas emissions have risen again, as per new data released Thursday. Blacklock's Reporter says only two provinces, Alberta and Saskatchewan, both with opposition to the carbon tax, reported lower emissions compared to the previous year."We are making steady progress. It is imperative that we keep up the momentum. We have a responsibility to take climate action," Guilbeault said.Addressing reporters, Guilbeault acknowledged the rebound in emissions, stating, "We need everyone to help drive down the emissions that are already fueling costly climate impacts."According to the National Inventory Report compiled by the Department of Environment, emissions increased in 2022, totaling 708 million tonnes, up by 9.3 million tonnes from the previous year. This rise comes after a decline in emissions in 2020 due to pandemic-related lockdowns.Guilbeault pointed out the challenge of distinguishing between emissions reductions resulting from government measures and those influenced by the pandemic-induced economic slowdown.The report highlighted a general increase in emissions from the transport sector since COVID-19 lockdowns. Transport, including road vehicles and aircraft, remains the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, totaling 196 million tonnes annually.Despite claims by Minister Guilbeault and government caucus members about the effectiveness of the federal carbon tax in reducing emissions, the data shows otherwise.The National Inventory figures indicated emissions declines only in Alberta and Saskatchewan, with Alberta's emissions dropping from 271 to 270 million tonnes and Saskatchewan's from 77 to 76 million tonnes. In contrast, Ontario saw the largest increase, rising from 151 to 157 million tonnes, while emissions in other provinces either remained unchanged or increased.Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Shultz said the province could do better, if it wasn't hampered by Ottawa.“As the National Inventory Report shows, Alberta’s per-barrel emissions are in decline while energy demand continues to rise. In fact, even as oil and gas production increased in our province, our total emissions went down," she said in a Friday statement.“This shows that the Alberta approach is working. Emissions are declining in oil and gas, and we’re seeing major investments in hydrogen, nuclear, geothermal, carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), and other innovative technologies needed for the future."“We are a global leader in responsible energy development and could be doing even more if the federal government came to the table. We saw this on May 1, when Alberta’s Capital Power had to stop its Genesee carbon capture and storage project because the project wasn’t economically feasible due to lack of support from Ottawa. The blame for this lies entirely at the Prime Minister’s feet."“Ottawa has broken its promise to provide key CCUS investment tax credits and its promise to provide credits to help spur hydrogen, electricity and even more clean technology projects. They’ve also broken their promise to expand the Canada Growth Fund’s range of Carbon Contracts for Difference. For other provinces, the federal government can, and has, moved quickly to support emissions reduction projects. However, when it comes to Alberta, we get only lip service, delays and bad policy creating massive investment uncertainty."
