Canada’s Emissions Trends 2014 Report: Updates, outcomes and reflections

The briefing analyzes Canada's 2014 emissions trends, highlighting a projected 116 Mt gap between 2020 emissions (727 Mt) and the Copenhagen Accord target (611 Mt). While policies in the electricity and transportation sectors provide mitigation, growth in the oil sands and general economic expansion drive emissions upward. The report notes that the oil and gas sector became Canada's largest emission source in 2012 and that significant reductions are concentrated in Ontario due to its coal phase-out, while Alberta sees the most growth.

• Canada is projected to have greenhouse gas emissions of 727 Mt in 2020, leaving a gap of 116 Mt to meet its Copenhagen Accord pledge of 611 Mt, which represents nearly 16 per cent of its 2005 emissions.
• The oil and gas sector became Canada's largest source of emissions in 2012, accounting for 25 per cent of the total national inventory, with growth primarily driven by the oil sands.
• The electricity sector is expected to achieve 50 Mt of mitigation between 2005 and 2020, with 46 Mt of that reduction coming from coal-fired power plants, largely driven by Ontario's coal phase-out.
• Projections for 2020 rely on 19 Mt of net GHG sequestration from the land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector; without this, 2020 emissions would be projected to exceed 2005 levels.
• Building emissions are projected to increase by 14 Mt between 2005 and 2020, partly due to the increased use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) as HCFCs are phased out under the Montreal Protocol.
• Provincial emission trends vary significantly, with Ontario projected to achieve 37 Mt of mitigation by 2020, while Alberta is projected to see emissions grow by 55 Mt over 2005 levels due to the oil sands.

APA

Dion, J. (2015). Canada’s Emissions Trends 2014 Report: Updates, outcomes and reflections. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/canada-emission-trends-2014-updates-outcomes-reflections.pdf

Chicago

Dion, Jason. Canada’s Emissions Trends 2014 Report: Updates, outcomes and reflections. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2015. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/canada-emission-trends-2014-updates-outcomes-reflections.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dion |first1=Jason |title=Canada’s Emissions Trends 2014 Report: Updates, outcomes and reflections |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=January 2015 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/canada-emission-trends-2014-updates-outcomes-reflections.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dion2015canadas, author = {Dion, Jason}, title = {{Canada’s Emissions Trends 2014 Report: Updates, outcomes and reflections}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2015}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/canada-emission-trends-2014-updates-outcomes-reflections.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }