SUSTAINING the ENVIRONMENT and RESOURCES for CANADIANS

Canadians need clearly defined environmental indicators -- measuring sticks that can track the results that have been achieved through the efforts of governments, industries and individuals to protect and improve the environment. Following expert advice, three environmental indicators were selected by which the federal government and its partners can track progress and be held accountable in striving for cleaner water, cleaner air and lower greenhouse gas emissions. The selected indicators in this second annual report are as follows: the air quality indicator, the greenhouse gas emissions indicator and the freshwater quality indicator.

These Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators supplement traditional health and economic measures, such as gross domestic product, so that Canadians can better understand the relationships that exist among the economy, the environment, and human health and well-being. They are intended to help those in government who are responsible for developing policy and measuring performance, as well as offering all Canadians more information about the trends in their environment.

	Air quality At the national level, from 1990 to 2004, the ground-level ozone indicator showed year-to-year variability with an average increase of 0.9% per year. In 2004, ground-level ozone values were the highest at monitoring stations in southern Ontario, followed by Quebec/eastern Ontario. Southern Ontario has exhibited an increasing trend since 1990, while other regions showed no noticeable increase or decrease. The highest PM2.5 levels for 2004 were in southern Ontario, although some areas in eastern Quebec also showed high levels. There was no discernable national trend for PM2.5 during the period 2000 to 2004.
	Greenhouse gas emissions In 2004, Canada’s total greenhouse gas emissions reached an estimated 758 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, up 27% from 1990. Canada’s 2004 emissions were 35% above the target to be achieved in the period 2008 to 2012 under the Kyoto Protocol.
	Freshwater Freshwater quality at 340 selected monitoring sites across southern Canada was rated as "good" or "excellent" at 44% of the sites, "fair" at 34% and "marginal" or "poor" at 22%. Freshwater quality at 30 sites across Northern Canada was rated as "good" or "excellent" at 67% of the sites, "fair" at 20% and "marginal" or "poor" at 13%. In 2004 and 2005 in the Great Lakes was rated as “good” or “excellent” for Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Georgian Bay, and eastern Lake Erie, “fair” for central Lake Erie, and “marginal” for western Lake Erie and Lake Ontario..