Canada’s GHG Emissions in 2024 & Considerations for 2025
Canada’s GHG Emissions in 2024 & Considerations for 2025
With 2024 now at a close, how did Canada’s GHG emission levels and targets measure up, and what does this mean for the country’s climate goals as we head into 2025?
By: Sabrina Careri
Canada’s GHG Emissions in 2024 & Considerations for 2025
With 2024 now at a close, how did Canada’s GHG emission levels and targets measure up, and what does this mean for the country’s climate goals as we head into 2025?
Canada is making strides in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As a signatory of the Paris Agreement (a global accord adopted in 2015 to limit global temperature increases to well below 2°C), progress was evident for the 2023 – 2024 fiscal year.
In last year’s Government of Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory, the federal government reported total GHG emissions of 1,048 kilotonnes of CO₂ equivalent from facilities and conventional fleet operations. This represents a 42.0% reduction compared to the baseline year of 2005 – 2006!
As our actions begin to pay off, GHG emissions across our nation continue at a downward trend and remain below the pre-pandemic levels of 2019-2020. The report suggests that this reduction from previous years can be attributed to mass operational improvements (e.g. increased energy efficiency and clean electricity advancements), as well as more milder weather during typically colder seasons across the larger regions.
Canada’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) operationalizes our global commitments by providing a roadmap that outlines sector-by-sector direction to reach our emissions reduction targets of 40% below 2005 levels by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050.
The good news is that we are on the right track in reducing our emissions and meeting these interim targets. However, challenges persist across various sectors that include industry, transportation, and oil and gas among others, revealing how mass coordination is needed across communities and all levels of jurisdictions.
The new year will be critical in determining whether or not we continue to stay on track to meet our climate targets. We must call on our political leaders to integrate global commitments into national, provincial, and local plans. This year, let your New Year’s resolutions reflect a commitment to the environment through climate action to protect our future generations.
