Canada's Black Carbon Inventory Report 2026

Executive summary

Black carbon is a component of particulate matter (PM) and a short-lived climate pollutant. Specifically, it is a short-lived small aerosol (or airborne particle) linked to near-term climate warming, air pollution and adverse human health effects. Reducing black carbon emissions is of particular interest in polar regions, such as the Arctic, where it increases atmospheric warming and enhances melt when deposited on ice and snow.

In 2012, Parties to the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) adopted amendments to its Gothenburg Protocol. The amendments added fine particulate matter to the Protocol and voluntary action, including emissions reporting of black carbon, as a component of fine particulate matter. In 2017, Canada ratified the Gothenburg Protocol and its 2012 amendments.

The Arctic Council was one of the first fora to recognize the importance of action on short-lived climate pollutants, in particular, black carbon, beginning in 2009. The Arctic Council Framework for Action on Enhanced Black Carbon and Methane Emissions Reductions was developed under Canada's most recent term as Chair of the Council (2013 to 2015) and was agreed upon in April 2015. It includes a commitment from all Arctic States to develop and improve emission inventories for black carbon using, where possible, relevant guidelines from the CLRTAP. In 2017, the eight Arctic States committed to the aspirational goal of reducing collective black carbon emissions by 25% to 33% relative to 2013 levels by 2025.

Canada's black carbon emissions inventory allows Canada to assess its progress in reducing black carbon emissions, combatting related climate change and human health issues, and to contribute to achieving the Arctic Council's collective aspirational goal. Canada's annual official submission to the UNECE comprises a black carbon dataset submitted by February 15 and its accompanied report by March 15, submitted along with the Air Pollutant Emissions Inventory.

All emissions reported in this inventory are from anthropogenic sources. Natural sources of black carbon, such as wildfires, are not included. Emissions in this inventory, estimated at the national, provincial and territorial levels, are grouped according to the following source categories^{Footnote 1} :

• Ore and Mineral Industries
• Oil and Gas Industry
• Electric Power Generation (Utilities)
• Manufacturing
• Transportation and Mobile Equipment
• Agriculture
• Commercial/Residential/Institutional

In keeping with international reporting requirements, Canada's emissions of black carbon from aircraft at cruising altitude, as well as emissions from international marine navigation, are presented separately from other sources of emissions in this report and are excluded from Canada's national total emissions (see section A2.3 for more information).

This report presents the results of the 2026 edition of Canada's annual inventory of black carbon emissions, and includes information on the most recent estimates for 2013 to 2024.

Black Carbon Emissions in 2024

In 2024, approximately 18 kilotonnes (kt) of black carbon were emitted in Canada (Table ES–1).^{Footnote 2}

Transportation and Mobile Equipment is the largest source of black carbon in Canada, accounting for 12 kt (66%) of total emissions in 2024. Of the various sources in this category, off-road diesel engines account for 7.0 kt (38%) of total emissions in 2024. The other large source in this category is diesel engines used for on-road transport, which account for 2.1 kt (12%) of total emissions.

Oil and Gas Industry is the second-largest source of black carbon emissions in Canada, accounting for 2.7 kt (15%) of total emissions in 2024. Within this category, Flaring and Incineration is the largest source, making up 1.4 kt (7.5%) of total emissions in 2024.

Canada's Black Carbon Emissions Trends (2013–2024) and International Commitment

Since 2013, black carbon emissions in Canada have decreased overall by 12 kt (40%). Therefore, Canada has already achieved its share of the Arctic Council's goal to reduce black carbon emissions by 25-33% below 2013 levels by 2025.^{Footnote 3} Trends in black carbon emissions are largely driven by the Transportation and Mobile Equipment category and are consistent with observed trends in emissions of PM less than or equal to 2.5 microns in diameter (PM_2.5) (on which black carbon estimates are based) (Table ES–1).

When observing long-term emission trends, large-scale events can have a significant impact on a portion of the time series analyzed and should be considered. The years 2020 and 2021 were marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. This coincides with notable observed emission decreases between 2019 and 2020. Impacts of the pandemic, more pronounced in 2020, are now harder to distinguish in recent years, as black carbon emissions have resumed the gradual downward trend of recent years. More information on black carbon emissions and trends in Canada can be found in Chapter 2.

Irrespective of the downward trend, air quality issues may still arise when emission sources are spatially concentrated. While the black carbon inventory provides valuable information on emissions in Canada, it does not distinguish between localized sources of emissions within the provincial and territorial level aggregations. Work will continue to improve the completeness and accuracy of the inventory, quantifying the emissions that are not yet captured, and refining base data and estimation techniques. In line with the continuous improvement approach, emissions from the Landfill Gas sector, under the Electric Power Generation category, were added to the 2024 inventory. In addition, a methodological improvement to the Home Firewood Burning sector was implemented, which resulted in downward recalculations in black carbon emissions compared to the 2025 edition. More information on estimation methods and recalculations can be found in Chapter 3.

Notes:

Totals may not add up due to rounding.
Values in this report have been rounded to up to two significant digits.
0.00 Indicates emissions were truncated due to rounding.

Note:

Refer to Annex 2.3 for more information on Transportation and Mobile Equipment emissions reporting.