Oil and gas sector needs to cut emissions by 40% in new reduction plan

The federal government’s new emissions reduction plan is calling for a huge reduction in Canada’s oil and gas industry.

The plan, tabled in the House of Commons on Tuesday by Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, predicts that sector will have to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 42 per cent by 2030 if the country is to meet its new goals.

The government is predicting that electricity emissions will be around zero by the end of the decade, but it will take longer to see real progress from the transportation sector.

Transportation, which accounts for 25 per cent of current emissions, has grown by 16 per cent since 2005.

Oil and gas is responsible for more than one-quarter of Canada’s total greenhouse gas emissions. The sector’s carbon footprint reportedly has risen by 20 per cent since 2005.

The 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan relies on economic and emissions modelling to determine the most affordable and feasible projects to reach Canada’s target of cutting emissions by 2030 to no more than 60 per cent of what they were in 2005.

— With files from The Canadian Press