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5. Which GHG emissions are caused by human activity, and which sectors emit them?

Figure 1-1 shows the proportions of anthropogenic GHG emissions in Canada in 2013 by type of gas. The global proportions are similar. Note that 78% of the total consists of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. These last come mostly from the combustion of fossil fuels. Methane, the second most significant anthropogenic GHG (15%), essentially comes from oil and natural gas systems, as well as domestic livestock and landfills.(12) Global proportions are similar.(13)

In 2013, 726 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (TCO2e) were emitted in Canada. Figure 1-2 shows the proportions of GHG emissions attributed to each economic sector according to the IPCC’s classification.

Figure 1-1
GHG emissions in Canada by type of gas, 2013

Source: Environment Canada, National Inventory Report 1990-2013: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada – Executive Summary, The Canadian Government’s Submission to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, 2015, p. 2.

Figure 1-2
Proportions of GHG emissions by economic sector in Canada, 2013

Sources: Environnement Canada, “Oil Sands: A Strategic Resource for Canada, North America and the Global Market – GHG Emissions,” 2015, p. 1; Environment Canada, National Inventory Report 1990-2013: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada – Executive Summary, The Canadian Government’s Submission to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, 2015, p. 5.

Notes
12. Environment Canada, National Inventory Report 1990-2013: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada – Executive Summary, The Canadian Government’s Submission to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, 2015, p. 2.
13. United States Environmental Protection Agency, Climate Change Indicators in the United States, Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions, May 2014.

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