Canadian System of Environmental–Economic Accounts: Intensities and demand-based measures, 2021

Statistics Canada's physical flow accounts record the annual flows of natural resources, products and residuals between the Canadian economy and the environment. Data are presented to reflect the activities of industries, households and governments. Because they follow the classification system used in Statistics Canada's supply and use tables, it is possible to link these data to gross production and final demand to produce the data presented here. These data are currently available at the national level only.

Data for 2021 from the physical flow accounts are now available for direct plus indirect energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity (table 38-10-0098-01) and by final demand category for energy use, GHG emissions and water use (table 38-10-0010-01). Data from 2009 to 2020 for both of these tables have also been revised to reflect updated data on energy use (table 38-10-0096-01) and greenhouse gas emissions (table 38-10-0097-01) and to reflect revisions to the supply and use tables (table 36-10-0478-01). Meanwhile, data from 2009 to 2019 on water use (table 38-10-0250-01) by final demand category were updated to reflect revisions to the supply and use tables. Due to the availability of source data, water use estimates are published every two years. For this reason, comparative analysis of these estimates follows a two-year cycle.

Data on intensities provide a measure of the energy used and the GHGs emitted throughout the entire supply chain to produce one thousand current dollars of output from each industry. The intensities include both direct and indirect effects and thus reflect the interdependence between industries in the Canadian economy.

Direct effects measure the inputs required (e.g., energy used) or wastes produced (e.g., GHGs emitted) by an industry directly delivering output. Indirect effects measure the impacts associated with economic activity upstream in the supply chain.

An example of direct GHG emissions would be those released by the combustion of natural gas in a restaurant kitchen to cook a hamburger, while indirect emissions would include the methane released from cattle farms to produce beef for the hamburger.

Data on intensities should only be considered on a single-year basis as they are based on gross output in current dollars. It would be necessary to adjust for inflation to use these data in a time series context.

Demand-based measures allocate industrial energy inputs and residuals (wastes) to the end user of goods and services rather than to the producer. The allocation to personal expenditures by households includes direct and indirect energy and water use, as well as GHG emissions.

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 System of Environmental–Economic Accounting are based on different methodological frameworks, and this results in different GHG estimates. The sector definitions of the two products differ and should therefore not be directly compared. For more information on these differences, see the physical flow accounts metadata page (5115) and the greenhouse gas webpage of the Canadian Centre for Energy Information.