According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in 2014, Canada had the fourth highest level of greenhouse gas emissions of 35 OECD countries.¹ The United States had the highest greenhouse gas emissions and Iceland had the lowest emissions.

Canada’s high emissions are due to a number of factors. The climate is variable – so Canadians use space heating and cooling to stay comfortable.²

Canada is a large country with its population dispersed throughout, meaning Canadians spend more time traveling and have a greater demand for freight transportation of goods.²

Canada’s economy is based on natural resources, including agricultural products, electricity, oil, gas, and metals. Accessing these resources leads to considerable greenhouse gas emissions.²

¹OECD. Greenhouse gas emissions by source. http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/environment/data/oecd-environment-statistics/greenhouse-gas-emissions_data-00594-en?isPartOf=/content/datacollection/env-data-en– accessed February 15, 2017.
²Government of Canada. Canada’s Sixth National Report on Climate Change. 2014. http://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/456520/publication.html-accessed July 2017.