Canadian System of Environmental–Economic Accounts: Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, 2022
Released: 2024-12-10
4.10 terajoules per million dollars of real GDP
2022
-0.7% 
(annual change)
0.29 kilotonnes per million dollars of real GDP
2022
-1.8%
(annual change)
64.6 gigajoules
2022
0.9% 
(annual change)
3.0 tonnes
2022
1.3%
(annual change)
Canada's economy continued to recover from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, with real gross domestic product (GDP) by industry growing by 4.1% from 2021. Nationally, overall energy use increased 3.2% and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions rose 2.3% compared with one year earlier.
More than one way to measure greenhouse gas emissions
The GHG emissions estimates in this release are based on the United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting guidelines. The methodology used in these guidelines differs from that used by Environment and Climate Change Canada, which is responsible for producing the official National Inventory Report: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada. Therefore, these data sets should not be directly compared. For more information on the methodological differences, please see the Note to readers.
Canada's gross domestic product and industrial energy use and greenhouse gas emissions
National industrial energy use (+3.3%) and GHG emissions (+2.2%) both rose in 2022, continuing their increase from 2021 after sharp declines in 2020 during the pandemic. The Canadian economy, as measured by real GDP, grew 4.1% in 2022, continuing the trend of slower growth of GHG emissions relative to total GDP (Chart 1).
Indeed, Canada's economy has been growing at a faster pace than industrial GHG emissions for over a decade. GDP rose on average 2.3% per year from 2009 to 2022, while industrial GHG emissions have remained close to 2009 levels, rising on average 0.02% per year from 2009 to 2022.
Chart 1
Indexed greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and gross domestic product (GDP) at basic prices, all industries, 2009 to 2022
The oil and gas extraction industry remains Canada's top industrial energy user and greenhouse gas emitter
The oil and gas extraction industry remained Canada's top industrial energy user in 2022, accounting for just under one-quarter (23.7%) of Canada's total industrial energy use.
Oil and gas extraction was also the highest GHG-emitting industry from 2009 to 2022, accounting for 29.6% of Canada's total industrial GHG emissions in 2022.
Prior to 2014, GHG emissions from the oil and gas extraction industry were growing alongside GDP. However, this changed in 2014, and from that year to 2022, the economic contribution of the oil and gas extraction industry grew by 27.6%, while emissions decreased 7.3% (Chart 2).
Chart 2
Indexed greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and gross domestic product (GDP) at basic prices, for the oil and gas extraction industry, 2009 to 2022
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution industry continues to decrease greenhouse gas emissions
Over the 2009 to 2022 period, the electric power generation, transmission and distribution industry significantly reduced its GHG emissions, moving away from coal toward less GHG-intensive energy sources for generating electricity. As a result, this industry's GHG emissions fell by 44.6% over this period, while its GDP rose 18.4% nationally (Chart 3).
Chart 3
Indexed greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and gross domestic product (GDP) at basic prices, for the electric power generation, transmission and distribution industry, 2009 to 2022
Air transportation industry energy use and greenhouse gas emissions take off in 2022 but remain below pre-pandemic levels
In the wake of the unprecedented disruption to global air travel during the first year of the pandemic, energy use in the air transportation industry fell by 58.9% year over year in 2020, in tandem with GHG emissions (-58.9%).
These restrictions were substantially eased in 2022, resulting in the industry's energy use almost doubling (+96.8%) along with GHG emissions (+97.1%) from 2021 to 2022. Nevertheless, energy use in the air transportation industry remained 19.5% lower than its peak in 2019.
Households account for over one-fifth of the total energy used in Canada
Households accounted for over one-fifth (21.8%) of Canada's total energy used in 2022, virtually unchanged from one year earlier and less than one-sixth (15.7%) of Canada's total GHG emissions.
GHG emissions per capita increased by 1.3% to 3.0 tonnes per person in 2022, following a 1.0% decrease in 2021. As in previous years, emissions per capita varied substantially by province and territory (Map 1, Chart 4).
Map 1
Household greenhouse gas emissions per capita by province and territory, 2022
Chart 4
Change in household greenhouse gas emissions per capita from 2009 to 2022, by province and territory
Top greenhouse gas emitters by province and territory
In 2022, household use of motor fuels and lubricants was the main source of total GHG emissions for four provinces: Prince Edward Island (26.4%), Newfoundland and Labrador (18.3%), Quebec (16.9%) and Ontario (15.4%).
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution was the main source of GHG emissions in Nova Scotia (40.5%) and New Brunswick (27.2%).
The crop and animal production (except cannabis) industry accounted for the largest share of total GHG emissions in Manitoba (35.4%).
Pulp, paper and paperboard mills were the largest source of GHG emissions in British Columbia (18.3%).
The oil and gas extraction industry was the largest GHG-emitting industry in Alberta (52.7%) and Saskatchewan (30.4%) in 2022.
The mining sector was the largest GHG emitter in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. Metal-ore mining accounted for over half (53.7%) of the GHG emissions in Nunavut, while non-metallic mineral mining and quarrying accounted for nearly one quarter (23.1%) of the GHG emissions in the Northwest Territories in 2022.
In Yukon, support activities for mining and oil and gas extraction (15.9%) was the highest emitter, and it was closely followed by air transportation (15.7%).
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Note to readers
The basis for these greenhouse gas (GHG) estimates presented in this release is Statistics Canada's physical flow accounts (PFA), which record the annual flows of selected natural resources, products and residuals between the Canadian economy and the environment. Data are presented to reflect the activities of industries, households and governments, and they follow the classification system of industries and commodities used in Statistics Canada's supply and use tables. Following the United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA), the use of this classification system enables the environmental accounts to be integrated with Canada's economic statistics, such as the gross domestic product.
Environment and Climate Change Canada is responsible for producing the official National Inventory Report: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada. This inventory, which fulfills Canada's reporting obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is consistent with guidelines published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and is the official benchmark for GHG emissions in Canada. National inventories under the UNFCCC and the GHG accounts under the United Nations SEEA are based on different methodological frameworks that result in different GHG estimates; the sector definitions used to create the two products differ and thus the products should not be directly compared. For more information on the methodological differences, see the Canadian System of Environmental-Economic Accounts - Physical Flow Accounts metadata page and the Greenhouse gas webpage of the Canadian Centre for Energy Information.
Preliminary data for 2022 from the PFA are now available for national energy use (38-10-0096-01) and national, provincial and territorial GHG emissions (38-10-0097-01). Estimates for 2009 to 2021 for both tables have also been updated due to revised source data.
The products "Physical flow account for energy use: Interactive tool" and Physical flow account for greenhouse gas emissions: Interactive tool," both of which are part of the series Statistics Canada – Data Visualization Products (71-607-X), are also available. For the latest in energy information in Canada, visit the Canadian Centre for Energy Information website.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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