Ministry of Environment

The Provincial Inventory Report is the report to the public on 2008 B.C. provincial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions levels (total and by various categories and types) as required under the Greenhouse Gas Reductions Target Act.

Yes, the 2008 Provincial Inventory Report revises the baseline for the province’s greenhouse gas reduction targets from a previously reported 67.3 to 68.0 megatonnes CO2e. The revision is mostly attributable to updated Energy – Stationary Combustion Sources estimates. The 2007 emissions figure may subsequently be updated to address improvements to data and inventory methods – in keeping with national and international GHG inventory procedures.

B.C. relies on data from Environment Canada’s National Inventory Report (NIR), which is typically released 16 months after the end of the inventory year. This time is required by Environment Canada and other federal agencies to assemble data, cross-check estimates and prepare the NIR. Additional time is required subsequent to the release of the national report to confirm provincial-scale data and prepare the Provincial Inventory Report.

The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act requires reporting emissions for 2007 and subsequent even-numbered years, beginning in 2008. Environment Canada reports annual, although slightly less comprehensive, estimates of B.C. GHG emissions along with estimates for all of Canada’s other provinces.

All GHG estimates are taken from the Environment Canada National Inventory Report 1990-2008 or the development process for the upcoming 1990-2009 national report.

Ministry staff have a close working relationship with Environment Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada, Statistics Canada and Canadian Forest Service staff in ensuring accuracy of methods, improving source data and cross-checking GHG estimates. Joint work has included face-to-face meetings, conference calls and early review of National Inventory Report estimates.

Ministry staff work closely with colleagues in other ministries to ensure that figures and additional information contained in the Provincial Inventory Report are accurate and consistent. A formal inter-agency inventory committee has not been established; rather, information is exchanged and meetings are held, as required.

Year 2008 improvements focussed on: (i) updating forestry activity data; (ii) improving activity data used for manufacturing and oil and gas estimates; and (iii) obtaining GHG estimates for emissions categories not previously reported at a provincial level.

Year 2009 improvements are likely to focus on: (i) improving the provincial breakdown of sulfur hexafluoride emissions from electricity generation and transmission; (ii) further updating afforestation area and GHG estimates; (iii) improving GHG estimates for energy sector manufacturing and oil and gas extraction; and (iv) updating forest inventory input information used in land-use change and forestry GHG estimates.

TThe Provincial Inventory Report includes GHG estimates for several categories that are estimated nationally in the National Inventory Report but not disaggregated to the B.C.-level: (i) afforestation and deforestation; (ii) sulphur hexafluoride use. As a result of including these categories, reported emissions in this B.C. Provincial GHG Report (68.7 megatonnes) are 3.6 megatonnes CO2e (5.6 per cent) higher than the emissions reported for B.C. in the National Inventory Report.

No. These emissions are not reported in the National Inventory Report, since they are not included in the IPCC/UNFCCC guidelines. B.C. follows National Inventory Report standards and does not include them within its Provincial Inventory Report. Emissions from air and marine travel originating in B.C. and ending within Canada are included in the two reports.

Thermal electricity (coal, oil, or natural gas generated electricity) imports are not included due to the strict United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) territoriality requirements for national inventory reports. B.C. is adhering to the UNFCCC guidelines used for Environment Canada reporting standards in the GHG estimates it reports.

Memo items are inventory items presented for information and transparency purposes, but do not formally count towards the provincial greenhouse gas emissions total.

These emission categories are presented as memo items and are therefore not currently counted towards the provincial total for the following reasons: (i) Environment Canada reports them as memo items; and, (ii) international accounting procedures are under development through the UNFCCC to handle the risk of natural disturbance, age class distributions and harvested wood products. B.C. may include these items at such a time depending on considerations as whether Canada changes its approach to including these estimates in its national greenhouse gas emissions total.

Afforestation and deforestation are included because: (i) quantification methods do not lead to a tendency to over- or under-estimate B.C.’s reported emission levels; (ii) there is greater direct human control over these emissions than for land use sources and sinks; and (iii) they are counted internationally towards Canada’s Kyoto Protocol commitments.

Over time, forest land can either sequester (remove from the atmosphere and store in biomass) or emit greenhouse gases. Current emissions from forest land are relatively high due to: (i) the size and severity of the mountain pine beetle epidemic; and (ii) the international accounting assumption that carbon in harvested wood products is immediately emitted to the atmosphere.

The data collected for the National Inventory Report upon which the Provincial Inventory Report takes its estimates comes from various sources, some disaggregated to conventional industry breakdowns, some not. Reporting by industry type would only provide coarse GHG estimates, particularly due to some categories such as off-road transportation.

Reported emissions increased from 68.0 to 68.7 megatonnes CO2e due to increases in off-road transportation energy use and fugitive oil and gas emissions. Emissions levels have, however, been relatively constant over the past five years. Year-to-year changes in reported emissions should not be read as a trend since weather conditions, changes in methods, economic conditions and data issues can mask true emissions trends. Readers are encouraged to consider three and ten year trend data when comparing changes in emissions.

The Climate Action Plan industry sector categorization for total B.C. GHG emissions (updated for 2008 in the colour pie chart) was established prior to the Provincial Inventory Report on the basis of traditional industry sectors within B.C.

The categories used in the Provincial Inventory Report (shown in the 3-D pie chart) follow established UNFCCC and National Inventory Report protocols.

The two pie charts present the same data, but for different purposes.

Yes. The definitions and emission factors set standards for B.C. There will, however, be a number of cases in which site-specific or further refined emission factors can be developed for specific policy and program applications. Examples of these include the use of Western Climate Initiative, Greenhouse Gas Reduction (Cap and Trade) Act Reporting Regulation or Carbon Neutral Government quantification methods, site-specific information or modeling of forest growth.

This Provincial Inventory Report provides a comprehensive picture of provincial greenhouse gas emissions (including the provincial 2007 baseline) and significant emission factor and definition guidance for related provincial greenhouse gas inventory and reduction initiatives. Other initiatives provide detailed GHG estimates for components of the B.C. economy to address specific legal, policy or financial objectives that may have differing data, analysis and communications needs.

For example, the Community Energy Emissions Inventory provides detailed GHG estimates for buildings, transportation and solid waste for each municipality and regional district within B.C. At the Regional District level emissions from deforestation and agricultural enteric fermentation are also reported. As the scope of the two reports (as well as methods and data sources) differ, categories and inventory totals are not directly related.

TThe Provincial Inventory Report (approximately 70 pp.) and a summary can be viewed or downloaded in pdf format from the Ministry’s website here. Excel format spreadsheets with the full 1990-2008 emission and activity data, the emission factors and other data shown in the report can also be downloaded from the web page. Additional questions can be sent to: GHGInventory@gov.bc.ca.