This page lists the indicators recently released by the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators program.

October 2024

Waste and contaminant indicators

Solid waste diversion and disposal

The way our economies extract, use, then dispose of resources is putting pressure on natural systems, communities and public health. Preventing and diverting waste by reusing, repairing, refurbishing, remanufacturing, repurposing, recycling and composting is a key component of a more circular economy which can help reduce the impact of solid waste on the environment. The circular economy seeks to keep products, materials and resources in use for as long as possible and then divert them from landfills to be reused in some way. Currently, most garbage collected for disposal ends up in landfills and a small amount is incinerated. This can lead to air pollutant emissions, land disturbance and water pollution. The extraction and processing of new resources needed to replace those discarded as waste leads to more pollution. 

September 2024

Biodiversity indicators

Ecological integrity of national parks

Ecosystems have ecological integrity when their components, such as native species, biological communities, natural landscapes, and ecological functions, are intact and are likely to persist. Annually, Parks Canada summarizes the condition (good, fair, poor) and the trend (improving, stable, declining) of ecosystems' ecological integrity in Parks Canada sites using a series of monitoring measures to track changes in biodiversity and natural processes.

August 2024

Air indicators

Emissions of harmful substances to air

Emissions of some substances can harm human health, wildlife and biological diversity. For example, small particles of toxic metals can travel long distances in the air, be inhaled, or settle on the ground and in water. From there, the particles can enter the food web and build up in the tissues of living organisms. Exposure to these substances, even in small amounts, can be hazardous to both humans and ecosystems. Mercury and its compounds, lead, and inorganic cadmium compounds are listed as toxic substances under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The emissions of harmful substances to air indicator reports on mercury, lead and cadmium emissions from human-related activities.

Climate indicators

Global greenhouse gas emissions

The release of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and their increasing concentration in the atmosphere is causing climate change, one of the most important environmental issues of our time. This change has an impact on the environment, human health and the economy. The increase in GHG concentrations is primarily due to human activities, such as the use of fossil fuels. Greenhouse gases remain in the atmosphere for periods ranging from a few years to thousands of years. As such, they have a worldwide impact, no matter where they were first emitted. This indicator highlights GHG emissions caused by human activity around the world.

Water indicators

Releases of harmful substances to water

The release of some substances to the environment can harm human health, wildlife and biological diversity. Toxic metals released to water can enter the food web and accumulate in the tissues of living organisms. Exposure to these substances, even in small amounts, can be hazardous to both humans and wildlife. Mercury and its compounds, lead and inorganic cadmium compounds are listed as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The Releases of harmful substances to water indicator reports facility-based releases of these substances to water.

July 2024

Climate indicators

Temperature change in Canada

Temperature is a key indicator of how the climate is changing in response to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities, as increasing GHG concentrations result in warming of the lower atmosphere. Temperature change can influence crops, forests, infrastructure, human health, the spread of disease, the availability of water and the health of ecosystems.

Biodiversity indicators

Harvest levels of key fish stocks

Harvest limits for wild fish and other marine animals are set to protect these stocks for the future. Some fish stocks have a removal reference, which is the maximum acceptable removal rate, or level, for the stock based on historical stock productivity data. When removal references are not available, actual harvest levels are compared to other approved levels like total allowable catch.

Status of key fish stocks

Human use of the oceans (including fishing) and environmental conditions affect the abundance and health of fish stocks at national and global levels. In order to maintain fish stocks for future generations, it is important to track their status and adjust management measures (such as harvest rates and limits). This indicator reports on the status (Healthy, Cautious, Critical or uncertain) of key Canadian fish stocks as found in the Sustainability Survey for Fisheries.

Canada's conserved areas

Conserved areas safeguard biodiversity for present and future generations by reducing stresses from human activities. They also provide opportunities for people to connect with nature. Conserved areas include protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs). Protected areas include national, provincial and territorial parks, Indigenous protected areas, national wildlife areas, migratory bird sanctuaries and marine protected areas. OECMs are areas that do not meet the formal definition of protected area but are managed in a way that conserves biodiversity over the long term. Examples of OECMs can include: Indigenous territories, watersheds or resource management areas, and areas with restricted access, such as those used by the military. These indicators track the amount and proportion of area recognized as conserved in Canada.

June 2024

Air indicators 

Air pollutant emissions

Air pollution problems, such as smog and acid rain, result from the release of pollutants into the atmosphere. These pollutants can affect Canadians' health, the environment, buildings, structures and the economy. The majority of these pollutants are released through human activities, such as transportation, the burning of fuels for electricity and heating, and a variety of industrial activities. The indicators on sulphur oxides (SO_X), nitrogen oxides (NO_X), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), ammonia (NH₃), fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and black carbon, a component of PM_2.5, report emissions released through human activities. 

Air quality

Air pollutants cause adverse health and environmental effects. Problems such as smog and acid rain result from the release of pollutants into the atmosphere. Most of these pollutants come from human activities, such as the burning of fuels for transportation, electricity, heating, and industry. Pollutants from natural sources, such as wildfires, can be equally substantial contributors to poor air quality when they occur. The Air quality indicators present the concentrations of 5 key air pollutants for Canada: fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), ground-level ozone (O₃), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). 

Water indicators 

Nutrients in the St. Lawrence River

The St. Lawrence River links the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean and is among the world's most important commercial waterways. It is a complex ecosystem that includes freshwater lakes and river reaches, a long estuary, and a salt-water gulf. Its many different habitats are home to a diverse range of plants, fish and other animals.

Phosphorus and nitrogen are essential plant nutrients. However, when their levels are too high or too low, they can have harmful effects on the food web of a river. Human activity, such as the use of chemical fertilizers, can increase the concentration of these nutrients to unhealthy levels. This indicator presents the status of each station as the percentage of samples above the nutrient guideline. It also provides the concentration of phosphorus and nitrogen, as well as any significant trends present in the concentrations over time where data were available.

May 2024

Climate indicators 

Greenhouse gas emissions

Climate change is one of the most important environmental issues of our time. Climate change is caused by the increase in concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. These increases are primarily due to GHG emissions resulting from human activities such as the use of fossil fuels or agriculture. This changing climate has impacts on the environment, human health and the economy. The indicators report estimates of Canada's emissions of GHGs over time.

Greenhouse gas emissions from large facilities

Releases of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and their increasing concentrations in the atmosphere are leading to a changing climate. This change has an impact on the environment, human health and the economy. This indicator tracks GHG emissions from the largest emitting facilities in Canada. The indicator complements the Greenhouse gas emissions indicators and provides information on an important source of Canada's industrial GHG emissions.

Biodiversity indicators

Ability of the agricultural landscape to support wildlife

When we convert natural landscapes to agricultural land, the amount and quality of habitat to support the breeding activities of wild species, or "wildlife habitat capacity", generally decreases. However, we can maintain or restore some of this capacity through effective management techniques, for example by protecting waterways, maintaining shelterbelts or other natural features, or sustainable grazing practices. This indicator shows the extent to which breeding habitat in agricultural landscapes for terrestrial species is maintained while producing the products we eat and use. The agricultural landscape considered in this indicator includes various types of land cover, such as croplands, native grasslands, natural pastures, woodlands and wetlands.

March 2024

Water indicators 

Water quantity in Canadian rivers

Canada is a water-rich country. However, too much or too little water can lead to serious problems, such as flooding or drought. Depending on the region in Canada, changes to the amount of water flowing in rivers can be linked to changes in weather and climate along with other drivers such as human development and demand.

The water quantity indicator provides information about water flows in rivers across Canada from 2001 to 2021 and by monitoring station for 2021. Longer-term trends provide an assessment of significant changes in flows, including very high and very low flows that can result in flooding or drought, from 1970 to 2021.

Climate indicators

Snow cover

Snow cover is an important factor in Canada’s climate, water flows and ecosystems. Snow cover varies with temperature, precipitation and climate cycles (e.g. El Niño), which influence long term trends. Information on snow cover extent and snow cover duration is important for assessing long-term changes in climate in Canada.

Air indicators

International comparison: air pollutant emissions in selected countries

Air pollution problems, such as smog and acid rain, result from the release of pollutants into the atmosphere. The majority of these pollutants are released through human activities, such as transportation, the burning of fuels for electricity and heating, and a variety of industrial activities. Air pollution can affect human health, the environment, buildings, structures, and the economy. These indicators compare Canada's emissions of 5 key air pollutants with those of top emitting member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), both in terms of total quantity and emissions intensity (the ratio of emissions to gross domestic product). 

Biodiversity indicators

Forest management and disturbances

In 2022, Canada's forests made up an area of approximately 3.7 million square kilometres (about 40% of Canada's land area). These forests account for approximately 9% of the world's forests. Much of it grows in the boreal zone, throughout which over 2.8 million square kilometres of forest are interspersed with lakes, wetlands, and other ecosystems. Canada's rich forest ecosystems offer significant environmental, social and cultural benefits, as well as opportunities for responsible economic development.

February 2024

Water indicators 

Water quality in Canadian rivers

Healthy river ecosystems rely on clean water. The quality of water and the health of rivers depend on how people develop and use the surrounding land. These indicators classify the water quality of rivers into 5 categories to give an indication of the ability of a river to support the plants and animals that live in or use the water.

January 2024

Water indicators 

Reductions in phosphorus loads to Lake Winnipeg

Lake Winnipeg is the sixth largest freshwater lake in Canada, with its drainage basin stretching over four provinces and four U.S. states. The land in the basin is mainly used for agriculture and is home to nearly seven million people.

The deterioration of water quality in Lake Winnipeg is mainly caused by nutrients and other contaminants from various sources throughout the basin. The increased concentration in nutrients and algal blooms since the mid-1990s has been partially due to an increase in precipitations, runoffs, floods, and river flows.

Socio-economic indicators and the environment

Solid waste diversion and disposal

The way our economies extract, use, then dispose of resources is putting pressure on natural systems, communities and public health. Preventing and diverting waste by reusing, repairing, refurbishing, remanufacturing, repurposing, recycling and composting is a key component of a more circular economy which can help reduce the impact of solid waste on the environment. The circular economy seeks to keep products, materials and resources in use for as long as possible and then divert them from landfills to be reused in some way. Currently, most garbage collected for disposal ends up in landfills and a small amount is incinerated. This can lead to air pollutant emissions, land disturbance and water pollution. The extraction and processing of new resources needed to replace those discarded as waste leads to more pollution. 

December 2023

Climate indicators 

Greenhouse gas emissions projections

Climate change is caused by the increase in concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) which trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere. These increases are primarily due to GHG emissions from human activities.

Canada's actions to address climate change at home and abroad are guided by the 2015 Paris Agreement goal of holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and pursuing efforts to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. In 2021, Canada announced a commitment to cut its GHG emissions by 40% to 45% below 2005 levels by 2030. Previously, Canada had committed to reducing its GHG emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. In the 2030 Emissions Reductions Plan, released in March 2022, Canada announced an interim objective to reduce GHG emissions by 20% below 2005 levels by 2026.

To estimate future GHG emissions, Canada develops GHG projections on an annual basis, using the most up-to-date assumptions of the key drivers that influence Canada's emissions. This indicator uses the latest GHG emissions projections to present the forecasted progress toward Canada's 2030 target.

Water indicators 

Phosphorus loading to Lake Erie

Phosphorus is a plant nutrient that is essential in freshwater systems. However, when phosphorus levels are too high, or too low, they can have harmful impacts on the health of a lake. High phosphorus levels in Lake Erie are leading to degraded water quality, algal blooms and zones of low oxygen which negatively impact aquatic life. In the absence of human development, natural background levels of phosphorus are relatively low. This indicator provides information about the amount of phosphorus reaching Lake Erie, known as phosphorus loading, mainly due to human activity.

Wildlife and habitat indicators 

Changes in the status of wildlife species at risk

Wildlife species are essential to the integrity of ecosystems. However, some wildlife species are at risk of disappearing from Canada. Wildlife species that are thought to be at risk are periodically assessed. This indicator reports on changes in the status of wildlife species at risk when they are reassessed. Changes in status over time may help determine whether conditions for these wildlife species are improving.

Species at risk population trends

Healthy wildlife populations are an important part of biodiversity. In Canada, some species that have experienced population declines or are naturally rare are now in danger of disappearing. Recovery or management actions are put in place to protect wildlife species that are identified as being at risk and are in danger of disappearing. Ensuring the successful recovery or management of a species at risk can be a long-term process involving various measures to stop or reverse the decline in the species and improve the likelihood that it will persist in the wild. This indicator provides a preliminary assessment of whether the population (how many) and distribution (how they are spread out) trends of species at risk listed under the Species at Risk Act are consistent with what is listed in their recovery or management objectives.