GHG emissions increased again in Quebec in 2019
The Minister of the Environment, Benoit Charette
Greenhouse gas emissions have increased in Quebec , according to the Quebec inventory of GHG emissions from the Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change (MELCC) presented by its Minister, Benoît Charette.
GHG emissions increased from 80.6 to 84.3 Mt of CO2 between 2018 and 2019. An increase of 1.5%. Quebec remains 2.7% below the 1990 threshold, but that seems “insufficient” for the minister. “These data prove, once again, that the actions carried out in the past to reduce GHG emissions in Quebec have been clearly insufficient and that several choices have not been judicious [& # 8230;]”
The MELCC minister thinks of the McInnis cement plant, which he describes as “the most emitting company in Quebec”. This cement plant was approved by a previous government and had a weight of 1.03 Mt CO2 eq in 2019.
Bitter finding at Greenpeace Canada
For its part, Greenpeace Canada bitterly notes the 2019 results and calls on the government to “do its fair share of the global climate effort”. “Quebec must improve and quantify its climate plan in addition to raising its GHG reduction target from 2022 as provided for in the Glasgow Pact which was negotiated at COP26 and supported by the National Assembly of Quebec last week” , reacted the head of the Climate-Energy campaign at Greenpeace Canada, Patrick Bonin.
“Instead of hiding behind the poor performance of previous governments, this government should be looking in the mirror as its climate record is far from glowing after more than three years in power. It is time for François Legault to take the climate crisis seriously and for his government to redouble its efforts when its “green” Plan is seriously flawed and only allows about 50% of its GHG reduction target for 2030 to be reached. . ”
Climate-Energy campaign manager at Greenpeace Canada, Patrick Bonin
The transport sector remains the one that emits the most GHGs in Quebec. “In 2019, transportation generated 43.3% of Quebec emissions, or 36.5 Mt CO2 eq.” This sector is a project for the government because over the period between 1990 to 2019, “emissions from transport increased by 34.6%.”
The government has established the emission reduction target of GHG at 37.5% compared to their 1990 level and must be reached within 9 years by 2030. The target towards carbon neutrality is expected in 2050.
An honorable mention, however, since Quebec is second for energy efficiency in the overall ranking of the provincial scorecard produced by Energy Efficiency Canada. British Columbia takes the top spot.
