Islanders reducing greenhouse gas emissions
To celebrate World Environment Day, Minister Natalie Jameson thanked Islanders for their continued efforts to reduce the Island’s greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change.
Between 2017 and 2018, in Prince Edward Island, there was a reduction of about 25,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions according to the latest information. This is roughly the equivalent of taking 5,400 passengers vehicles off the road for one year.
“This data reflects the awareness among Islanders of the importance of tackling climate change. It shows people moving away from using oil to heat their buildings and farms,” said Minister Jameson. “Islanders have a deep connection to their environment and as we continue with our Renew PEI, together plan we will include climate change as a consideration in recovery plans.”
In 2018, Prince Edward Island’s emissions were 1.7 million tonnes. Emissions declined 1.5 per cent compared to 2017, despite a 2.1 per cent increase in population and a 2.8 per cent increase in economic growth over 2017.
PEI is only one of three provinces in Canada where emissions decreased in 2018 along with New Brunswick and Saskatchewan.
The new data is part of the federal government’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report, which forms part of Canada’s submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Data is published with a two-year delay to allow time to assemble the information.
Media contact:
Leanne Ritchie
Department of Environment, Water and Climate Change
902-314-0134
lpritchie@gov.pe.ca
Backgrounder
Quick Facts:
- The transportation sector remains the most significant source of emissions in PEI (44%) with a slight decrease from 2017 (-3.8%). In 2018, emissions from passenger transport decreased by 5.9% compared to 2017.
- The Province is 46% of the way to the target in the Climate Leadership Act, which commits the PEI to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1.2 million tonnes by 2030.
- Over the past year, the Department of Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy has launched three programs to empower Islanders to find solutions to climate change at the community level including Solar Rebate Program, the Sustainable Communities Initiative and Active Transportation fund.