QUESTION PERIOD — Environment and Climate Change
Wildfire Emissions
December 5, 2023
Senator Gold, Canada is the third-most forested country in the world, with 362 million hectares covered with forest. This past summer, 18.5 million hectares burned across our country, emitting roughly 2,400 megatonnes of CO2 equivalent — more than triple Canada’s reported total emissions for 2021. Transparency in how wildfire emissions are reported is critical. Our Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development’s April report on forest and climate change called for a full picture of how Canadian forests affect carbon levels in our atmosphere.
Senator Gold, could you tell us how the Government of Canada is working toward better accounting for carbon emissions from wildfires?
Thank you for your question. It is an important one. Senator, I understand that emissions due to natural causes largely outside of human control are not counted toward Canada’s national inventory report but are presented as memo items annually. Canada reports its emissions in line with international guidelines and best practices, where emissions from forest fires are currently tracked under the separate natural disturbance component of the greenhouse gas inventory.
That said, I have been assured that the government will continue to improve our tracking of emissions every year as we push toward our 2030 emissions reduction target.
Senator Gold, further on forests, the commissioner’s April report also found that Environment and Climate Change Canada’s reporting on how changes in forest management affected emissions was incomplete. Activities such as clear-cutting, partial harvesting, slash burning, creating reserves for biodiversity and managing areas for non-timber use were not clearly or separately reported. Senator Gold, will Canada revisit its approach to estimating and reporting emissions from the forestry sector?
Thank you. The government is committed to continually improving how it reports on progress. I have been assured that Minister Wilkinson has heard from Nature Canada and other partners on this issue. My understanding is that Canada’s emissions tracking reported publicly, the methodologies are based upon the best available science and data and that the reporting is peer-reviewed by international experts and in line with other countries who are a party to the Paris Agreement.
