Canada’s actions to reduce emissions

Where Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions come from.

Note: Emissions totals (99 percent) are rounded.

Source: National Inventory Report 1990-2017: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada

Economic sectors used to calculate emissions:

• Homes and buildings – service industry and residential sectors
• Transportation – passenger transport; freight transport; other recreational, commercial, and residential
• Industry – heavy industry, light manufacturing, construction, and coal production
• Forestry, agriculture, and waste – on-farm fuel use, crop production, animal production, forest resources, solid waste, wastewater, waste incineration
• Oil and gas – upstream and downstream oil and gas

We are taking action to reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions through investments, support, and tougher regulations as we transition toward a low-carbon future.

Homes and buildings

Making Canada’s building sector more energy efficient is a cost-effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save households and businesses money. Homes and buildings contribute 13 percent of Canada’s emissions. We are reducing this amount by:

• supporting home and building retrofit programs across Canada, such as the Low Carbon Economy Fund and the Climate Action Incentive Fund
• updating model codes for new and existing buildings to improve energy efficiency
• setting energy-efficient appliance standards and programs
• supporting Indigenous communities and governments as they improve the energy efficiency of their homes and buildings
• phasing down hydrofluorocarbons that are commonly found in refrigerators, spray foams, and air-conditioning systems

Learn about:

• Our plans for sustainable and efficient homes and buildings
• the Advisory Council on Climate Action

Transportation

Investing in cleaner transportation will create good jobs, help Canada be more competitive in the low-carbon economy, and improve our quality of life. The transportation sector contributes 25 percent of Canada’s emissions. We are reducing this amount by:

• making historic investments in public transit
• providing over $182 million in funding for electric and alternative-fuel infrastructure
• having established light-duty zero-emission vehicles policy sales targets of 10 percent by 2025, 30 percent by 2030, and 100 percent by 2040
• providing a purchase incentive of up to $5,000 on eligible zero-emission vehicles
• increasing the stringency of emissions standards for passenger vehicles and most trucks
• developing cleaner fuels for vehicles

Learn about

• our plans for a low-carbon-transportation future
• Renewable fuel regulations

News and information

• News release: Canada and California team up to tackle vehicle climate pollution
• News release: Regulations for trucks, buses, and large vehicles cut pollution, improve air quality, and boost competitiveness
• News release: Canada begins consultations on vehicle emission standards

Regulations:

• Regulations Amending the Passenger Automobile and Light Truck Greenhouse Gas Regulations
• Regulations Amending the Heavy-duty Vehicle and Engine Greenhouse Gas Emission Regulations and Other Regulations Made Under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999
• Locomotive Emissions Regulations
• Regulations Amending the Vessel Pollution and Dangerous Chemicals Regulations

Industry

Canada’s industries are the backbone of our economy, but they are also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. They contribute 11 percent of Canada’s emissions. We are reducing this amount by:

• making historic investments in clean-tech and clean-business solutions
• pricing emissions from large polluters
• improving industrial energy efficiency

The right investments today can make dramatic changes to reduce emissions and increase sustainability.

• Competitive, clean Canadian industries
• News release: Canada announces next steps to drive clean growth and climate action

Oil and gas

Canada’s oil and gas industry is an important contributor to our economy. However, the sector produces 26 percent of total emissions. There are many opportunities to reduce these emissions by investing in clean technologies and innovation.

We are setting fair regulations that will keep Canada globally competitive while protecting the environment by:

• reducing oil and gas methane emissions by 40 to 45 percent by 2025
• developing a Clean Fuel Standard

News and regulations

• News release: Canada finalizes major commitment to reduce carbon pollution
• Regulations Respecting Reduction in the Release of Methane and Certain Volatile Organic Compounds (Upstream Oil and Gas Sector)

Forestry, agriculture and waste

Canada’s forestry, agriculture, and waste sectors contribute 10 percent of Canada’s emissions. We are reducing this amount by:

• supporting renewable fuels and bio-based products
• launching the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, which will help reduce emissions from agricultural practices and support climate resilience
• investing in landfill-methane-capture projects across Canada that repurpose waste as fuel

Learn about

• Canadian Agricultural Partnership
• Reducing emissions from the forestry, agriculture, and waste sectors

Electricity

Generating electricity contributes 8.8 percent of Canada’s emissions. We are reducing this amount by:

• phasing out pollution from coal-fired electricity by 2030
• setting new standards for natural-gas electricity
• increasing investment in renewable energy
• increasing investment in transmission lines and smart grids
• supporting rural and remote communities to reduce reliance on diesel
• putting a price on carbon pollution from fossil-fuel-based electricity

Canada is moving toward a clean-energy future. By 2030, Canada’s energy grid will be 90 percent clean. Making a transition to cleaner energy helps protect the health of Canadians, cuts carbon pollution, and positions us to take part in the projected $26 trillion global clean-growth industry.

• Powering our future with clean electricity
• Reducing reliance on diesel
• Powering Past Coal Alliance
• Task Force on Just Transition for Canadian Coal Power Workers and Communities

News and regulations

• News release: Canada’s coal power phase-out reaches another milestone
• News release: Government of Canada welcomes report from Just Transition Task Force for Canadian Coal Power Workers and Communities
• Regulations Limiting Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Natural Gas-fired Generation of Electricity

Short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs)

Canada’s plan for addressing short-lived climate pollutants, such as hydrofluorocarbons, will help meet climate goals and improve air quality. This plan will help the world avoid an increase in its average temperature by up to 0.5 degrees Celsius, by the end of the century.

• Canada’s strategy for short-lived climate pollutants
• Short-lived climate pollutants overview
• News Release: Canada ratifies Kigali Amendment
• Regulations Amending the Ozone-depleting Substances and Halocarbon Alternatives Regulations
• Global Methane Initiative
• Canada’s Black Carbon Emissions Inventory

Climate action map

See how the Government of Canada is fighting climate change in communities across the country.

• Explore the climate action map