Accounting for GHG Emissions Among Provinces: Who's the Real Emitter? New Report
CALGARY, Sept. 27, 2017 /CNW/ - Alberta gets blamed for being a disproportionate source of GHG emissions. It does, after all, produce large amounts of hydrocarbons. But that begs the question - who is using those hydrocarbons? Alberta may produce the oil, but others are using it. So how do we account for their emissions? How do other provinces factor in? We understand the producer's role in generating Canada's greenhouse gas emissions, but often forget the consumer's role.
Today The School of Public Policy with authors Sarah Dobson and G. Kent Fellows released a new report that approaches emission accounting not from the traditional "production" basis, but from a "consumption" basis. The report details who the big emitters in Canada are in each province, and why.
According to co-author Fellows, "Understanding the consumer's role allows us to identify when emissions produced in one province support consumption in another province or outside of Canada. The substantial volume of embodied emissions in inter-provincially traded goods and services provides strong evidence to support the implementation of a coordinated National approach to carbon pricing in Canada. Understanding the consumer's role also provides support for the use of "output based allocations" (which are being employed in Alberta and are expected to be part of the national emissions pricing backstop) to maintain international competitiveness."
The report is able to parse out the carbon footprint of various sectors of each province's economy, as well as households. And every province is very different. This data will be critical to future carbon emissions reductions strategies.
The paper can be downloaded at https://www.policyschool.ca/publications/
NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING DAY, SEPTEMBER 28, A REPORT WILL BE ISSUED FOR EACH PROVINCE SHOWING YOUR PROVINCE'S CUSTOMIZED CARBON FOOTPRINT REPORT. PLEASE REACH OUT AT THE CONTACTS BELOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE AN EMBARGOED COPY OF THE PROVINCIAL REPORT.
SOURCE The School of Public Policy - University of Calgary
Media contact: Morten Paulsen, [email protected], 403.220.2540
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