TORONTO, Ont. -- April
11, 2012 -- Today, Canada’s Environment
Minister Peter Kent and Parliamentary Secretary
Jacques Gourde announced that Canada’s greenhouse
gas emissions remained steady in 2010 while
the economy grew.
“While our continued
economic recovery remains our Government’s
top priority, today’s news demonstrates
that our work to balance the need for a
cleaner and healthier environment while
protecting jobs and growth is working,”
said Minister Kent. “Through a responsible,
practical approach to the environment and
the economy, we will continue forward on
this path.”
“We are seeing good
progress in our sector-by-sector approach
to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by
17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020,” said
Parliamentary Secretary Gourde. “Emissions
have declined in almost all sectors since
2005.”
The Government of Canada
simultaneously released the National Inventory
Report, the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program
facility-level data and related overview
report, and the greenhouse gas indicators
of the Canadian Environmental Sustainability
Indicators program. These three reports
were released together to facilitate greater
consistency and to provide Canadians with
a coherent picture of emission levels across
the country.
In summary, today’s
reports indicate that:
•between 2009 and 2010, our emissions remained
steady despite economic growth of 3.2 per
cent;
•since 2005, annual greenhouse gas emissions
have dropped by 48 megatonnes;
•emissions have declined in almost all sectors,
including oil and gas, and electricity generation,
since 2005,
•per capita emissions remain at an historic
low of 20.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide
•equivalent per person, their lowest level
since tracking began in 11000; and,
•while emissions have grown 17.5 per cent
since 11000, our economy has grown 60.5
per cent.
+ More
Harper Government Takes
Next Step to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
from Heavy-Duty Vehicles
BOUCHERVILLE, Que. –
April 13, 2012 – Today the Honourable Peter
Kent, Canada's Environment Minister, announced
proposed regulations to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions from new on-road heavy-duty
vehicles.
These proposed regulations
would reduce emissions from the whole range
of on-road heavy-duty vehicles and engines,
including large pick-up trucks, short/long-haul
tractors, cement and garbage trucks, buses,
and more, for the 2014 model year and beyond.
They would allow the Government of Canada
to continue establishing emission standards
and test procedures that are aligned with
those of the United States.
"Canada and the
United States have a deeply integrated automotive
industry and there are significant environmental
and economic benefits to aligning our emission
standards for new on-road heavy-duty vehicles,"
said Minister Kent. "Today's announcement
means that, by the year 2020, greenhouse
gas emissions from Canada's heavy-duty vehicles
will be reduced by 3 million tonnes per
year. This is equivalent to removing 650,000
personal vehicles from the road."
As a result of implementing
the proposed standards, it is anticipated
that greenhouse gas emissions from 2018
heavy-duty vehicles will be reduced by up
to 23 percent from those sold in 2010.
Reducing emissions from
the transportation sector is an important
part of the Government of Canada's overall
climate change strategy, which aims to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent from
2005 levels by 2020.
Canada has already worked
closely with the United States to establish
common North American standards for greenhouse
gas emissions regulations for light-duty
vehicles for the 2011-2016 model years,
and is working towards proposed regulations
for model years 2017 and beyond.
The proposed on-road
heavy-duty vehicle regulations are available
on the Canada Gazette Web site, and will
be published in print in Canada Gazette
Part I on April 14, 2012.
