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Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.
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Description of the greenhouse gas emissions indicatorThe greenhouse gas emissions indicator, related data and trends information come directly from Canada’s National Inventory Report, 1990–2004, an annual report submitted by Environment Canada as required under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (Environment Canada 2006a). Greenhouse gas emissions are estimated according to the procedures and guidelines prescribed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and are reviewed annually by a United Nations Expert Review Team. The indicator estimates Canada’s total annual anthropogenic (human-induced) emissions into the atmosphere of six main greenhouse gases:
Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are produced by both natural and human sources. Sulphur hexafluoride, HFCs and PFCs come only from human sources. The total emissions estimate is calculated by adding the individual estimates for each of the six gases. The individual estimates are all converted to an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide by multiplying the estimated emissions for each gas by a weighting factor called “global warming potential” that is specific to the gas. This potential represents the amount of warming over 100 years that results from adding one unit of each gas to the atmosphere, compared with the effect of adding one unit of carbon dioxide. Each unit of methane, for example, is multiplied by 21, and each unit of nitrous oxide is multiplied by 310, to determine their carbon dioxide equivalents. The emissions for each greenhouse gas are estimated by summing the individual estimates for different activities. In general, measurements of the amount of activity (e.g. kilometres driven or amount of a given product manufactured) are multiplied by the emissions per unit for that activity. Estimates of emissions per unit of activity, also known as emission factors, are based on measurements of representative rates of emission for a given activity level under a given set of operating conditions (U.S. EPA 1996). Some emission factors can be calculated for individual industrial facilities; most are more general and are derived from national or international averages. The indicator does not include emissions from naturally occurring sources (e.g. organic matter decay, plant and animal respiration, and volcanic and thermal venting) or the absorption of emissions by natural sinks, such as forests and oceans. Emissions and removals from some types of land, such as forests and wetlands, and changes in land use are excluded from the indicator as well. Environment Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Division developed and compiled these data from several sources, including Statistics Canada (statistics on energy, transport, livestock, crop production and land), Natural Resources Canada (statistics on mineral production and forestry) and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (some agricultural parameters), as well as other sections of Environment Canada (data on landfill gas capture, HFC use and PFC use, ozone and aerosol precursors). Environment Canada engineers and scientists estimate emissions using methods developed by IPCC as well as methods and models developed in-house specifically for estimating Canadian emissions (Environment Canada 2006a). The draft inventory is reviewed by an interdepartmental working group that includes representatives of provincial, territorial and federal government departments working in air pollution measurement and estimation. Emissions estimates for the various sectors are also reviewed by experts from the organizations that provided the source data, such as Statistics Canada, Natural Resources Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Finally, the information submitted by Canada each year to the UNFCCC Secretariat is subject to external review by a team of experts, and a report of their findings is published by the UNFCCC. The inventory underwent an in-depth review in Canada in 2003 and a “desk” review in 2004 and 2005. Sources of uncertainty in the estimated emissions include the definitions of the activities that are incorporated in the estimates, methods for calculating emissions, data on the underlying economic activity and the scientific understanding. Uncertainty information is used to set priorities to improve the accuracy of future inventories and to guide decisions about improvement of the estimation methods. The uncertainty about estimates for individual gases, individual sectors or specific provinces will be higher than for the overall national estimate (Environment Canada 2006a). Quality assurance, quality control and verification procedures are part of preparation of the inventory. They take the form of internal checks and external reviews and audits, following international standards. Activities based on these reviews are intended to further improve the transparency, completeness, accuracy, consistency and comparability of the national inventory. The detailed documentation, uncertainty estimates, international reporting guidelines, domestic and international scrutiny and reliance on Statistics Canada energy survey results all contribute to the quality of the greenhouse gas estimates. Further details on the indicator are provided on the Government of Canada website (www.environmentandresources.ca) and the Statistics Canada website (/).
Box A.1. Statistics Canada's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Account Statistics Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Account forms the basis for Figure 7. Produced following the concepts of the System of National Accounts,1 it uses many of the same basic data as the greenhouse gas inventory compiled by Environment Canada; however, the information is recast into the commodity and industry framework of the System of National Accounts so that the emissions data can be used for economic modelling. In particular, this linkage permits use of Statistics Canada’s national input–output accounts to analyse the interplay between production and consumption of goods and services and the greenhouse gas emissions that result from those activities. Emissions from the production of goods and services are attributed via the input–output model to the final purchaser. Statistics Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Account provides emissions estimates for 119 industries and two categories of household expenditure. In addition to the detailed emissions data produced by sector, several environment–economy “intensity” indicators are derived from Statistics Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Account, including the greenhouse gas intensity of gross industrial output, the greenhouse gas intensity of household consumption and the greenhouse gas intensity of net exports. Emissions factors from Environment Canada are applied to Statistics Canada’s energy use account data (which are also based on the System of National Accounts industry and commodity frameworks). The energy use data come mainly from Statistics Canada’s Industrial Consumption of Energy Survey, transportation surveys, the Report on Energy Supply–Demand in Canada and Natural Resources Canada’s Census of Mines. Additional estimates of emissions that are not linked to fossil fuel consumption are taken directly from the Environment Canada greenhouse gas inventory and are applied to the appropriate industries in the System of National Accounts. The final demand categories outlined in Figure 7 can be defined as follows:
Note
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