Canada's greenhouse gas inventory, 1990-2002

Abstract

This report presents an inventory of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by source, and GHG removals by sinks. The underlying trends in these emissions were discussed along with provincial and territorial emissions for the period 1990-2002. The report is intended to help Canada track its progress in meeting emission reduction goals as specified in the Kyoto Protocol. This is the second inventory since Canada ratified the Kyoto Protocol and committed to reduce GHG emissions by 6 per cent below 1990 levels. As a result, transparent reporting of GHG emissions, calculation methodologies and verification procedures must be aligned with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) guidelines. This report also describes the efforts in developing a quality assurance and quality control plan for the inventory. Recent climate and GHG concentration trends were reviewed along with Canada's institutional arrangements for producing the inventory. Emissions trends by gas and by source were described with reference to various sectors including energy, industrial processes, solvents, agriculture, land use, forestry, and waste. In 2002 Canada released 731 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent of GHGs to the atmosphere, an increase of 2.1 per cent over the previous year. Nearly 74 per cent of the total GHG emissions in 2002 came from the combustion of fossil fuels. refs., tabs., figs.