Follow-up petition on the quantification of Canada’s total carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from exported fossil fuels

Petition: 390B

Issue(s): Climate change; Governance; Natural resources

Petitioner(s): A Canadian organization

Petitioner location(s): Toronto,  Ontario

Date received: 21 January 2021

Status: Completed—Response(s) to petition received

Summary: This petition is a follow-up to petition 390 and seeks information about Canada’s total fossil fuel exports from 2016 to 2020 and the amount of carbon dioxide emissions derived from the combustion of these fossil fuels during this period. The original petition, submitted in 2016, asked similar questions and sought comparable data for the period from 2012 to 2015.

The follow-up petition maintains that without considering emissions resulting from its exported fossils fuels, Canada cannot fully understand its contributions to greenhouse gas emissions and the climate crisis. According to the petition, Canada’s total reported domestic carbon dioxide emissions rose by 30 megatonnes between 2013 and 2018. The petition expresses concern that these emission calculations do not include the carbon dioxide emitted from Canada’s exported fossil fuels.

The follow-up petition asks whether the Government of Canada has amended its National Inventory Report of Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks to include carbon dioxide arising from the combustion of fossil fuels exported from Canada and, if not, why not. In particular, the petition requests data on the aggregate amount of exported fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids) for the years from 2016 to 2020, along with an annual breakdown of the modes used to transport fossil fuels out of Canada (rail, pipeline, and ocean vessels). The petition also asks whether the federal government plans to estimate the amount of carbon dioxide emissions from its exported fossils fuels and whether it will track these exports. In addition, the petition requests any estimates or modelling of projected fossil fuel exports in future years and asks whether the government is considering initiatives to reduce emissions from exported fossil fuels.

Federal departments/organizations responsible for reply: Environment and Climate Change Canada; Natural Resources Canada; Transport Canada