Emissions in Canadian Agriculture

Sep 27, 2020 | Education & Outreach

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.

Canada ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992 and national inventories of sources and sinks of greenhouse gases (GHGs) must be submitted by April 15 of each year. The report is part of Canada’s annual inventory submission under the Convention. The 2020 report contains the data up to the end of 2018.

Using Canada’s IPCC emissions report and including data from Statistics Canada, below is a snapshot of the most recent emissions information resulting from agriculture in Canada.

What is happening on a source and sink basis?

Agriculture in general has climbed from its low in 2011 and for 2018 was 73 million tonnes before credit on land changes. Direct soils emission and land changes continue to grow emissions while the remaining areas remain steady or are decreasing.

Canada’s Agriculture Emissions Report Segments

What’s happening at a provincial level?

Animal Production

For animal production, enteric fermentation and manure, the trend is moving downward to steady since the highs of 2006.

Crop Production

All provinces continue to grow in their emissions except for British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

Farm Fuel Use

All provinces are steady except for British Columbia and Saskatchewan./p>

What We Learned

In examining the linear lines, crop production across Canada continues to drive the growth in agriculture’s GHG emissions.

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