Overview of the Reported 2009 Greenhouse Gas Emissions

6 What Do I Need to Know before Using the Reported Facility-level Greenhouse Gas Information?

Greenhouse gas emissions data are only required from facilities that meet the new 50 kt CO₂ eq reporting threshold. Not all facilities in Canada are required to report their annual GHG emissions to Environment Canada. The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting Program only requires facilities that emit the equivalent of 50 kt or more of CO₂ eq to report. Facilities with yearly emissions below the reporting threshold can still participate in the program if they wish. Note that the threshold was reduced to 50 kt, starting with 2009 data (reported in 2010), from a previous threshold of 100 kt CO₂ eq.

The number of reporting facilities may change from year to year. Yearly fluctuations in the number of reporting facilities are not unexpected. A change in production levels, processes and technologies or types of fuel used at a facility could all result in either an increase or a decrease in the annual emissions reported. As a result, a facility may fall below or attain the reporting threshold of 50 kt CO₂ eq. This year, there was an increase in the number of reporting facilities due to the lowering of the threshold and an increase in the number of voluntary reporters.

The facility must ensure that the reported data are of good quality. Reporters have a legal obligation to keep copies of the information submitted, along with any calculations, measurements and other data on which the information is based. All information must be kept for a period of three years from the date of its being reported to Environment Canada. Reporters are also required to submit a Statement of Certification, signed by an authorized official, stating that the information contained in the attached emission report is accurate and complete, to the best of their knowledge.

Greenhouse gas emissions are reported in CO₂ eq units. Greenhouse gases are not equal in the effect they have on the atmosphere. In fact, each GHG has a unique average atmospheric lifetime and heat-trapping potential. Greenhouse gas emissions are often calculated in terms of how much CO₂ would be required to produce a similar warming effect. This is called the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂ eq) value and is calculated by multiplying the amount of the gas by its associated global warming potential (GWP). For example, the GWP for methane (CH4) is 21, which means that each tonne of CH4 emitted is considered to have a cumulative warming effect over the next 100 years equivalent to emitting 21 tonnes of CO₂.

The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting Program is not the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI). Although both programs are delivered by Environment Canada under the authority of section 46 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, they are two distinct programs. The NPRI currently collects pollution data on a range of emissions of concern, including criteria air contaminants, whereas the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting Program collects GHG information from facilities. Facilities reporting to the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting Program are asked to report their NPRI identification number to facilitate searching and comparison of emissions from facilities that report to both programs.

There are a number of methods that a facility may choose to use to calculate its GHG emissions. The methods selected by reporting facilities must be consistent with the guidelines adopted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

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