The Canadian government has unveiled its new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement in which it aims to reduce greenhouse gas emission (GHG) by 40-45% below 2005 levels by 2030 and to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. In April 2021, the country pledged to cut GHG emissions in 2030 by 36% compared to 2005 levels, according to Canada’s budget for the fiscal year ending in March 2022. The country’s previous 2030 target was to cut GHG emissions by 30%.
Canada’s GHG emissions increased by 0.2% in 2019 to 730 MtCO2eq, i.e., 21.4% higher than 1990 levels. This evolution was largely driven by increased emissions from oil and gas extraction as well as transport. Earlier in July 2021, the Canadian Senate passed the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act (Bill C-12), which sets targets for every five years from 2030 to 2050 a decade in advance on a path to reach net-zero emission by 2050.