The Conference Board of Canada has released it's "How Canada Performs" report card on Canada's environmental performance. The results are an insightful look into how well we as a community are treating the environment, in comparison with our peer countries.
We have summarized some of the interesting findings of the report here, and you can also read the full report online.
Report Card Highlights
The Good
Canada is currently doing very well in regards to use of forest resources. In fact, this is the only area in which Canada earned an "A". Also, Canada scored as well as, or better than, in previous reports in all categories except Municipal waste generation, marine life, and greenhouse gas emissions.
The Bad
As a nation, we use a lot of water compared with other countries. Canada’s water withdrawals are more than double the entire 16-country average. Canada uses more than nine times the amount of water per capita than the U.K - only the U.S. uses more water per person.
The Ugly
One area where there is definitely room for improvement is in VOC emissions. These are emissions produced from vehicle emissions and chemical manufacturing and are a cause of smog and health issues. Canada is dead last in VOC emissions per capita (that is - per person, we pollute the most out of all the 17 industrialized countries in the report). Canada was the only country to receive a "D" on VOC emissions per capita
Canada also has some room to improve the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) we generate. The report notes that:
Canada, one of the world’s largest GHG emitters, earns a "D" for its GHG emissions per capita. In 2005, Canada’s GHG emissions were 22.6 tonnes per capita—almost double the 17-country average of 12.4 tonnes per capita. Canada’s GHG emissions per capita have increased, rising from 17.1 tonnes per person in 1990 to 22.6 tonnes per person in 2005.
What this means is that Canada produces almost double the amount of greenhouse gases per person than the average industrialized nation in the report.
Overall, Canada ranks 15th out of 17 peer countries for environmental performance.
Full Report Card Results
Here are the results of the report across all Indicators:
 |
Use of forest resources |
 |
Forest cover change |
|
Low-emitting electricity production |
|
Energy intensity |
|
Threatened species |
|
Urban SO2 concentration |
|
Urban PM10 |
|
Water Quality Index |
|
Urban NO2 concentration |
 |
Organic farming |
|
Marine Trophic Index |
|
GHG emissions |
|
VOC emissions |
|
Municipal waste generation |
|
Water consumption |
The report suggests that "Canada must promote economic growth without further degrading the environment, partly by encouraging more sustainable consumption".
Source: The Conference Board of Canada, "How Canada Performs", 2008.
Smokestack Image by pinkcigarette
