Emissions fell nearly 9% in 2020 shutdown

Huge reduction in travel during early pandemic

Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions fell nearly nine per cent in 2020, the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, as Canadians along with the rest of the world were forced to change their lifestyles and restrict movement to curb the spread of COVID-19.

A report Canada submitted to the United Nations this week showed that greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 66 megatonnes annually in 2020, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said in a statement, describing the drop as being equivalent to taking 20 million cars off the road.

That included a 27-megatonne drop in transportation emissions, mainly due to people not driving and flying during pandemic-related lockdowns.

“This is the first report that tracks the impacts of the pandemic on emissions in Canada,” Guilbeault said. “So we must be mindful that overall emissions are likely to rebound to a degree as Canada's economy roars back to life.”

But, there were also “real signs of progress” in Canada's National Inventory Report on GHG Emissions, Guilbeault added.

The Trudeau government has pledged to cut emissions 40-45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.

In March, the government laid out details of a comprehensive emissions reduction plan and announced over $9 billion in new spending to meet its

WE MUST BE MINDFUL THAT OVERALL EMISSIONS ARE LIKELY TO REBOUND TO A DEGREE

climate targets.

Climate think-tank Clean Energy Canada, welcoming news of the reduction in emissions, said the 2020 report shows the impact of COVID as well as climate policy.

“Moving forward, the rapid implementation of the federal government's emissions reduction plan will be paramount if we're to make significant annual emissions declines a regular occurrence — no global pandemic required,” Clean Energy Canada executive director Merran Smith said.

Guilbeault said the report demonstrates how measures like accelerating the switch to electric vehicles will help Canada achieve its net-zero targets.

The report showed a reduction in electricity generation, largely due to the phasing out of coal-fired electricity — an objective of the government's emissions reduction plan.