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The Province
03-07-2025
- Climate
- The Province
Canada's wildfire emissions exceeded all other sources in 2023: Report
Canadian officials have warned that this year's season is on track to the second worst on record in the amount of land scorched. This photo provided by the Manitoba government shows wildfires in Wanless on Thursday, May 29, 2025. Manitoba government via AP A new report highlights how Canada's worst wildfire season on record in 2023 caused more greenhouse-gas emissions than all other sources combined. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors The report follows a warning from Canadian officials that the 2025 wildfire season will likely be the second worst on record. The 2023 wildfires released nearly one gigatonne — or one billion tonnes — of carbon dioxide from Canada's forests, an amount that far exceeds the total emissions of 694 megatonnes from all other sources of emissions in Canada that same year, according to a report from the Canadian Climate Institute. The report looks at the latest data from Canada's National Inventory Report on greenhouse-gas emissions, which contains an entry for the CO2 released by wildfires. However, wildfire CO2 emissions are not counted toward Canada's official greenhouse-gas targets. It's not just Canada omitting wildfire emissions either. Most countries exclude forest fires as they strive to meet targets set out in the Paris Accord to limit global warming to 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Canada's CO2 entry for wildfires also doesn't include other gases released by wildfires such as methane. Dave Sawyer, principal economist with the Canadian Climate Institute, says the aim of the report is to highlight why it's important to keep reducing emissions across all other sectors, such as oil-and-gas, as wildfires become more frequent and intense because of climate change. 'We like to shine a spotlight on data and information to draw people's attention to it. And the wildfires are clearly an important topic right now,' he said Wednesday. 'Every tonne matters.' While no single wildfire is caused by climate change, the report says they're made likelier and more intense as hotter temperatures dry out vegetation. Wildfires also accelerate climate change because they are massive sources of carbon emissions, the report adds. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Sawyer said data show that since 2010 the frequency and intensity of disasters like wildfires, floods and storms have been climbing across Canada, but most notably in Alberta. 'We've come into this new era of annual forest fires that are big and releasing all kinds of carbon and releasing all kinds of particulates that have significant health effects,' he said. 'There's this notion that Canada is a small emitter and therefore we're not responsible. And it's just not the way the science works. Every tonne of emissions has damages associated with it.' The climate report notes that if Canada's wildfires were a country, they would have been the world's eighth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in 2023. Summer only just started a week ago but already there have been hundreds of devastating fires across Western Canada, forcing thousands of residents from their homes and causing poor air quality in many communities. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Officials have warned that this year's season is on track to be the second worst on record, in terms of area burned. In a technical briefing last month in Ottawa, Michael Norton, director general of the Northern Forestry Centre with Natural Resources Canada, said forecasters are expecting a hot and dry summer, leading to increased fire danger conditions for much of Western and Northern Canada. Modelling by Environment and Climate Change Canada suggests temperatures will be about a degree or two above normal across the country through August, though the risk of wildfires remains highest in central and western provinces and territories. With files from The Canadian Press ticrawford@ Read More Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks News Local News Opinion
Vancouver Sun
03-07-2025
- Climate
- Vancouver Sun
Canada's wildfire emissions exceeded all other sources in 2023: Report
A new report highlights how Canada's worst wildfire season on record in 2023 caused more greenhouse-gas emissions than all other sources combined. The report follows a warning from Canadian officials that the 2025 wildfire season will likely be the second worst on record. The 2023 wildfires released nearly one gigatonne — or one billion tonnes — of carbon dioxide from Canada's forests, an amount that far exceeds the total emissions of 694 megatonnes from all other sources of emissions in Canada that same year, according to a report from the Canadian Climate Institute. The report looks at the latest data from Canada's National Inventory Report on greenhouse-gas emissions, which contains an entry for the CO2 released by wildfires. However, wildfire CO2 emissions are not counted toward Canada's official greenhouse-gas targets. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. It's not just Canada omitting wildfire emissions either. Most countries exclude forest fires as they strive to meet targets set out in the Paris Accord to limit global warming to 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels. Canada's CO2 entry for wildfires also doesn't include other gases released by wildfires such as methane. Dave Sawyer, principal economist with the Canadian Climate Institute, says the aim of the report is to highlight why it's important to keep reducing emissions across all other sectors, such as oil-and-gas, as wildfires become more frequent and intense because of climate change. 'We like to shine a spotlight on data and information to draw people's attention to it. And the wildfires are clearly an important topic right now,' he said Wednesday. 'Every tonne matters.' While no single wildfire is caused by climate change, the report says they're made likelier and more intense as hotter temperatures dry out vegetation. Wildfires also accelerate climate change because they are massive sources of carbon emissions, the report adds. Sawyer said data show that since 2010 the frequency and intensity of disasters like wildfires, floods and storms have been climbing across Canada, but most notably in Alberta. 'We've come into this new era of annual forest fires that are big and releasing all kinds of carbon and releasing all kinds of particulates that have significant health effects,' he said. 'There's this notion that Canada is a small emitter and therefore we're not responsible. And it's just not the way the science works. Every tonne of emissions has damages associated with it.' The climate report notes that if Canada's wildfires were a country, they would have been the world's eighth- largest emitter of greenhouse gases in 2023. Summer only just started a week ago but already there have been hundreds of devastating fires across Western Canada, forcing thousands of residents from their homes and causing poor air quality in many communities. Officials have warned that this year's season is on track to be the second worst on record, in terms of area burned. In a technical briefing last month in Ottawa, Michael Norton, director general of the Northern Forestry Centre with Natural Resources Canada, said forecasters are expecting a hot and dry summer, leading to increased fire danger conditions for much of Western and Northern Canada. Modelling by Environment and Climate Change Canada suggests temperatures will be about a degree or two above normal across the country through August, though the risk of wildfires remains highest in central and western provinces and territories. With files from The Canadian Press ticrawford@
Canada Standard
30-06-2025
- Climate
- Canada Standard
What Wildfire Emissions Mean for Canada's Climate Progress
As Canadians are all too aware, the return of spring and summer also marks the return of wildfire season. This summer has already seen devastating wildfires impact people in communities across the country, including the Prairie provinces, British Columbia, eastern Ontario, and the territories. Smoke from these fires has affected air quality in many cities in Canada and the U.S. midwest and northeast regions. Officials have warned that this year's season is on track to the second worst on record, in terms of areas burned. Wildfires are both a symptom and an accelerant of climate change, writes Ross Linden-Fraser at 440 Megatonnes. A symptom, because while no single wildfire is exactly caused by climate change, they are made likelier and more intense by the increasingly dry and hot conditions of Canada's changing climate. And wildfires accelerate climate change too, as they are massive sources of carbon emissions. Because accounting for those emissions can be complex, Linden-Fraser takes a deeper dive into how Canada counts wildfire emissions and what that means for the country's climate progress. Every year, Canada's National Inventory Report on greenhouse gas emissions contains an entry for the carbon dioxide released by wildfires. These emissions are tracked but not counted towards Canada's official greenhouse gas targets-more on that in a moment. As Figure 1 shows, the numbers fluctuate significantly, but they can be enormous. Canada's 2023 wildfires are the most pointed example. According to the latest National Inventory Report, they released nearly 1 gigatonne-or one billion tonnes-of carbon dioxide from Canada's forests. That's a staggering sum that far exceeded the total emissions from all other sources in Canada in 2023. If Canada's forest wildfires were a country, they would have been the world's eighth-largest emitter that year. The emissions data for Canada's 2023 forest fires are all the more sobering considering that they are incomplete. They are not wrong, but they are not designed to count everything. View our latest digests There are three main categories of wildfire emissions that Canada does not count. First, it does not estimate the emission of gases other than carbon dioxide. Though that is the most significant gas released by wildfires, these fires release other gases, including methane-a powerful greenhouse gas. Second, Canada's estimates of wildfire emissions only reflect the impact on forests. There are fires on other landscapes like prairies or wetlands, but the inventory does not currently estimate them. Some of these landscapes, like peatlands, are recognized as particularly important stocks of carbon. Fires are likely releasing carbon from some of these lands, but they are not currently tracked in the country's inventory The third category of uncounted emissions is more abstract. These are emissions from what are called unmanaged lands. The reason that they go uncounted has to do with the international accounting rules that apply to emissions from forests and other landscapes. These emissions fall into a category known as land use, land-use change, and forestry emissions, or LULUCF. Countries are only required to report LULUCF emissions from managed lands , meaning areas subject to direct human intervention through agriculture or parks (or fire suppression). Every country has some flexibility to decide what counts as managed land, and in Canada more than 30% of forest lands are considered unmanaged. There is currently no official way to measure the carbon stored or released on this territory. All of this means that there are additional wildfire emissions in Canada that are not being officially estimated. And there is a case for tracking emissions from other gases, other landscapes, and unmanaged forests. Doing so would be useful for understanding the impacts of fires on Canada's natural landscapes, and those emissions on the atmosphere. But even if Canada was estimating these emissions, none of them would show up on the country's balance sheet. Canada's official report on greenhouse gases dutifully records LULUCF emissions, but excludes them from the country's total emissions. Canada is not alone: the country follows standard international guidance for how these inventories accounted for. Part of the rationale for excluding LULUCF emissions is that they are often due to causes that are largely out of direct human control, such as forest fires and insect outbreaks. LULUCF emissions are also more uncertain to estimate than emissions from other sources like vehicles or industry. On top of that, these emissions are so variable that they could obscure other trends in the inventory over which countries have more direct control. This arrangement for reporting emissions may seem strange, given emissions from forest fires will amp up the severity of global warming, but it's founded on a logic rooted in clarity and responsibility. The global emissions accounting system is intended to focus countries on the emissions that can be most accurately estimated and most easily controlled by national action. (There are also critiques of how Canada accounts for the emissions it does estimate, but the estimates themselves are generally considered reasonable). What does all this mean for Canada's climate progress? It's obvious that wildfires are a significant problem for Canadians as well as for the climate. And just as rising temperatures make the fires worse, so too do the fires worsen climate change. Adaptation measures, including forest management programs to reduce the spread of wildfires and policy changes that reduce the risk to communities, are clearly necessary. But adaptation alone still leaves the larger problem of the emissions from fires that will burn anyways. If those emissions cannot easily be addressed, what is to be done? The scale of the threat leaves only one good option: for societies to reduce the emissions that they can control. It is precisely because some emissions cannot be easily avoided that we must tackle the emissions we can reduce. Climate mitigation cannot stop all wildfires, but it can slow their advance, and put limits on a problem that-if left unchecked-would not stop growing. Every gram of carbon that can be kept out of the atmosphere compensates for every gram that is emitted. Every ounce of mitigation mitigates. The message of Canada's wildfires is not that there is little meaning to our efforts. It is that those efforts are more necessary than ever. This post from the Canadian Climate Institute's 440 Megatonnes blog was published under Creative Commons licence. Source: The Energy Mix
Canada News.Net
30-06-2025
- Science
- Canada News.Net
What Wildfire Emissions Mean for Canada's Climate Progress
As Canadians are all too aware, the return of spring and summer also marks the return of wildfire season. This summer has already seen devastating wildfires impact people in communities across the country, including the Prairie provinces, British Columbia, eastern Ontario, and the territories. Smoke from these fires has affected air quality in many cities in Canada and the U.S. midwest and northeast regions. Officials have warned that this year's season is on track to the second worst on record, in terms of areas burned. Wildfires are both a symptom and an accelerant of climate change, writes Ross Linden-Fraser at 440 Megatonnes. A symptom, because while no single wildfire is exactly caused by climate change, they are made likelier and more intense by the increasingly dry and hot conditions of Canada's changing climate. And wildfires accelerate climate change too, as they are massive sources of carbon emissions. Because accounting for those emissions can be complex, Linden-Fraser takes a deeper dive into how Canada counts wildfire emissions and what that means for the country's climate progress. Every year, Canada's National Inventory Report on greenhouse gas emissions contains an entry for the carbon dioxide released by wildfires. These emissions are tracked but not counted towards Canada's official greenhouse gas targets-more on that in a moment. As Figure 1 shows, the numbers fluctuate significantly, but they can be enormous. Canada's 2023 wildfires are the most pointed example. According to the latest National Inventory Report, they released nearly 1 gigatonne-or one billion tonnes-of carbon dioxide from Canada's forests. That's a staggering sum that far exceeded the total emissions from all other sources in Canada in 2023. If Canada's forest wildfires were a country, they would have been the world's eighth-largest emitter that year. The emissions data for Canada's 2023 forest fires are all the more sobering considering that they are incomplete. They are not wrong, but they are not designed to count everything. There are three main categories of wildfire emissions that Canada does not count. First, it does not estimate the emission of gases other than carbon dioxide. Though that is the most significant gas released by wildfires, these fires release other gases, including methane-a powerful greenhouse gas. Second, Canada's estimates of wildfire emissions only reflect the impact on forests. There are fires on other landscapes like prairies or wetlands, but the inventory does not currently estimate them. Some of these landscapes, like peatlands, are recognized as particularly important stocks of carbon. Fires are likely releasing carbon from some of these lands, but they are not currently tracked in the country's inventory The third category of uncounted emissions is more abstract. These are emissions from what are called unmanaged lands. The reason that they go uncounted has to do with the international accounting rules that apply to emissions from forests and other landscapes. These emissions fall into a category known as land use, land-use change, and forestry emissions, or LULUCF. Countries are only required to report LULUCF emissions from managed lands, meaning areas subject to direct human intervention through agriculture or parks (or fire suppression). Every country has some flexibility to decide what counts as managed land, and in Canada more than 30% of forest lands are considered unmanaged. There is currently no official way to measure the carbon stored or released on this territory. All of this means that there are additional wildfire emissions in Canada that are not being officially estimated. And there is a case for tracking emissions from other gases, other landscapes, and unmanaged forests. Doing so would be useful for understanding the impacts of fires on Canada's natural landscapes, and those emissions on the atmosphere. But even if Canada was estimating these emissions, none of them would show up on the country's balance sheet. Canada's official report on greenhouse gases dutifully records LULUCF emissions, but excludes them from the country's total emissions. Canada is not alone: the country follows standard international guidance for how these inventories accounted for. Part of the rationale for excluding LULUCF emissions is that they are often due to causes that are largely out of direct human control, such as forest fires and insect outbreaks. LULUCF emissions are also more uncertain to estimate than emissions from other sources like vehicles or industry. On top of that, these emissions are so variable that they could obscure other trends in the inventory over which countries have more direct control. This arrangement for reporting emissions may seem strange, given emissions from forest fires will amp up the severity of global warming, but it's founded on a logic rooted in clarity and responsibility. The global emissions accounting system is intended to focus countries on the emissions that can be most accurately estimated and most easily controlled by national action. (There are also critiques of how Canada accounts for the emissions it does estimate, but the estimates themselves are generally considered reasonable). What does all this mean for Canada's climate progress? It's obvious that wildfires are a significant problem for Canadians as well as for the climate. And just as rising temperatures make the fires worse, so too do the fires worsen climate change. Adaptation measures, including forest management programs to reduce the spread of wildfires and policy changes that reduce the risk to communities, are clearly necessary. But adaptation alone still leaves the larger problem of the emissions from fires that will burn anyways. If those emissions cannot easily be addressed, what is to be done? The scale of the threat leaves only one good option: for societies to reduce the emissions that they can control. It is precisely because some emissions cannot be easily avoided that we must tackle the emissions we can reduce. Climate mitigation cannot stop all wildfires, but it can slow their advance, and put limits on a problem that-if left unchecked-would not stop growing. Every gram of carbon that can be kept out of the atmosphere compensates for every gram that is emitted. Every ounce of mitigation mitigates. The message of Canada's wildfires is not that there is little meaning to our efforts. It is that those efforts are more necessary than ever.
Canada News.Net
24-06-2025
- Science
- Canada News.Net
Canada's Inactive Oil and Gas Wells Emit 7x More Methane Than Reported: Study
Methane emissions from Canada's inactive oil and gas wells are up to seven times higher than government estimates, a new McGill study finds-with a relatively small number of high emitters responsible for most of the pollution. The study analyzes the methane footprints of sites with non-producing wells across Canada, focusing on emissions from two sources: above-ground wellhead equipment, and surface casing vents (SVCs)-pipes designed to prevent the buildup of pressure within a wellbore. These sites emit an average of 230 kilotonnes of emissions each year, estimate the researchers, far more than the 34 kilotonnes reported in the federal government's 2024 National Inventory Report (NIR). However, the study's statistical uncertainty indicates that the actual number could be anywhere between 51 to 560 kilotonnes annually. A few high-emitting wells dominate the emissions. "For example, one well can emit as much as 100 wells combined," study co-author Jade Boutot, a PhD student in civil engineering, told CBC News, adding that those wells should be prioritized for remediation. The McGill study's wellhead emission estimate is about half the federal estimate, but estimates for SVC emissions are 16 times greater than NIR figures. It showed lower uncertainty than the NIR for wellhead emissions estimates, but comparatively higher uncertainty for SVC emissions. View our latest digests Environment and Climate Change Canada said it is reviewing the research and may include it in a review of how it estimates methane emissions, reported CBC News. Methane emissions from non-producing wells are difficult to estimate accurately in Canada and elsewhere due to limited direct measurements and uncertainty about the exact number of wells. In Canada, non-producing wells make up more than 70% of the total number of oil and gas wells. But Canada's 2024 NIR -which covered data as recent as 2022-reports 409,319 inactive wells, 15% fewer than the 471,276 wells the researchers counted. "Our well count is unlikely to be an overestimate, as it corresponds to the wells in government databases with unique identifiers," write the researchers. The most recent NIR released in 2025 using data from 2023, placed the total number of abandoned oil and gas wells at approximately 423,000. The McGill study reassesses the scale of emissions from these non-producing wells based on a dataset of methane flow-rate measurements for 494 of them. The dataset covers five provinces-Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec-using publicly available provincial and territorial data that includes 105 previously unmeasured wells. The authors say the dataset is "the largest measurement database using a consistent methodology." Researchers collected data about well attributes that include geographic location, well status, and other specifications. They also took 678 measurements across the sites in the dataset to directly quantify flow rate with a static-chamber methodology, which measures gas accumulation in an enclosed area over time. They acknowledge that, given the study's small sample size, "emission estimates remain highly uncertain." Alberta had the highest methane flow rates for both wellheads and SVCs. Saskatchewan's wellheads showed a comparable rate, but measurements for SVCs were markedly lower there. The distribution of both wellhead and SCV methane flow rates was skewed by large emitters, with 98% of emissions coming from only the top 12% of wellheads and the top 2.1% of SVCs.
