The health of Canadians and the country's social and economic progress are
highly dependent on the quality of the environment. Recognizing this, efforts
are being directed towards providing more accessible and integrated information
on society, the economy and the environment to help guide the actions of Canadians
and their governments.
Environment Canada, Statistics Canada and Health Canada are working together
to further develop and communicate national environmental indicators of air
quality, greenhouse gas emissions and freshwater quality—measuring sticks
that can track progress by governments, industries and individuals in protecting
and improving the environment. These indicators were first reported in Canadian
Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI) 2005 and have been updated and
further developed in this year's report.
The air quality indicators reflect the potential for long-term
exposure of Canadianstoground-level ozone
and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), key components of smog and
two of the most common and harmful air pollutants to which people are exposed.
Both the ozone and PM2.5 indicators are population-weighted estimates
of average warm-season concentrations of these pollutants observed at monitoring
stations across Canada.
The greenhouse gas emissions indicator tracks the annual releases of
the six greenhouse gases that are the major contributors to climate change.
The indicator comes directly from the greenhouse gas inventory report prepared
by Environment Canada for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change.
The freshwater quality indicator reports the status of surface freshwater
quality at selected monitoring sites across the country, including the Great
Lakes and, for the first time in this report, northern Canada. The indicator
uses the Water Quality Index, endorsed by the Canadian Council of Ministers
of the Environment, to summarize the extent to which water quality guidelines
for the protection of aquatic life (plants, invertebrates and fish) are exceeded
in Canadian rivers and lakes. The focus on protection of aquatic life provides
the most broadly based indicator of water quality, best reflecting the level
of ecosystem health in freshwater bodies across Canada.
These Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators are designed to supplement
traditional social and economic measures, such as employment levels and the
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 assist those in government who are responsible for developing
policy and measuring performance, as well as offering all Canadians information
about environmental sustainability in Canada.
Ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter (PM2.5)
are two key components of smog and have significant negative impacts on human
health, on the natural environment and, consequently, on economic performance.
Human exposure to these pollutants is of concern because there are no established
thresholds below which these pollutants are safe and do not pose a risk to
human health.
What is happening?
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 discernible national trend for PM2.5 during
the period 2000 to 2004.
Why is it important?
Ground-level ozone and PM2.5 have been linked to
health impacts ranging from minor respiratory problems to cardiovascular disease,
hospitalizations and premature death. Related economic effects include absenteeism,
lower labour force participation and increased health care costs.
Ground-level ozone indicator, Canada, 1990 to 2004
Notes:
The indicator is a population weighted estimate, based
on data from 76 monitoring stations. The trendline represents
the average rate of change based on the Sen method.
Sources:
Environment Canada, National Air Pollution Surveillance Network
Database; Statistics Canada, Environment Accounts and Statistics Division
Fine particulates (PM2.5) indicator, Canada, 2000 to 2004
Notes:
The indicator is a population weighted estimate, based
on data from 63 monitoring stations across Canada.
Sources:
Environment Canada, National Air Pollution Surveillance Network Database;
Statistics Canada, Environment Accounts and Statistics Division
Why is it happening?
Ozone is formed by chemical reactions involving nitrogen oxides (NOx)
and volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the presence of sunlight. Human activities
contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone by increasing the concentrations
of NOx and VOC, primarily through the burning of
fossil fuels in motor vehicles, homes, industries and power plants. Paints,
cosmetics and the evaporation of liquid fuels and solvents also add VOC to
the air. Ozone concentrations are affected not only by local activities, but
also by weather conditions and the movement of pollutants from other regions
and countries.
The sources of PM2.5 are varied. NOx,
sulphur dioxide, ammonia and VOC emissions all contribute to its formation
and their interaction is affected by meteorological conditions. PM2.5 is
also emitted directly as a pollutant.Transportation
andindustrial emissions are the main contributors,
but wood burning for home heating is also a significant source, especially
in the winter. Dust from wind erosion and ash from forest fires are natural
sources of PM2.5 and contribute to the overall total.
Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities enhance the Earth's natural
greenhouse effect, thereby contributing to global climate change.
What is happening?
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 of 6% below the 1990 baseline level to
be achieved in the period 2008 to 2012 under the Kyoto Protocol.
Emissions
per person rose 10% from 1990 to 2004, while emissions per unit of Gross
Domestic Product fell 14%.
The production and consumption of energy (including
road transportation, the oil and gas industries and fossil fuel-fired electricity
generation) accounted for 82% of total Canadian emissions in 2004 and 91%
of the growth in emissions from 1990 to 2004.
Alberta and Ontario had the
highest emissions of all provinces in 2004.
Why is it important?
Canadians are vulnerable to global climate changes that may result from increasing
greenhouse gas emissions. A rise in global temperatures could lead to severe
storm patterns, more heat waves, changes in precipitation, a rise in sea levels,
and regional droughts and flooding. In Canada's north, for example, the extent
of sea ice can be expected to decline, which will affect northern travel, wildlife
distributions and traditional hunting practices. On a national basis, agriculture,
forestry, tourism and recreation could be affected, as could supporting industries
and towns. Climate change is also projected to impact human health by leading
to increases in cases of heat stress, respiratory illnesses and transmission
of insect- and waterborne diseases, placing additional stresses on the health
and social support systems.
Source:
Environment Canada. 2006. National Inventory Report:
Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada, 1990-2004. Greenhouse Gas
Division.
Why is it happening?
Naturally occurring greenhouse gases help regulate the Earth's climate by
trapping heat in the atmosphere and reflecting it back to the surface. However,
human activities have amplified this natural process.
The production and consumption of energy, including sources such as transportation,
electricity generation, space heating and fossil fuel production and consumption,
rose 30% from 1990 to 2004, and accounted for most (82%) of total greenhouse
gas emissions in 2004. Greenhouse gas emissions from the oil, gas and coal
industry increased 49% from 1990 to 2004, reflecting rapid growth in the production
and export of crude oil and natural gas. Emissions from road transportation
rose 36% over the same period as the types of personal vehicles shifted from
automobiles to minivans, sport utility vehicles and small pickup trucks. Emissions
from thermal electricity and heat production grew 37% from 1990 to 2004, driven
primarily by a rising demand for electricity and an increase in the use of
fossil fuels for electricity generation relative to non-emitting sources such
as nuclear and hydro.
Water quality in Canada is under pressure from a range of sources, including
human settlement, agriculture and industrial activities. Degraded water quality
can affect both aquatic life and human uses of water for recreation, agriculture,
and as source water for drinking.
What is happening?
This indicator assesses surface freshwater quality with respect to protecting
aquatic life (e.g., fish, invertebrates and plants). Based on information gathered
from 2002 to 2004:
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%.
Freshwater quality measured 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.
Status of freshwater quality at sites in southern Canada, 2002 to 2004
Notes:
Observations for the Great Lakes and northern Canada
are not included.
Source:
Data assembled by Environment Canada from federal,
provincial, territorial and joint water quality monitoring programs.
Why is it important?
Good quality water in adequate quantities is fundamental to healthy ecosystems,
human health and economic performance in Canada. Degradation of water quality
can affect both aquatic life and human uses of water. For example, high concentrations
of nutrients (e.g., nitrogen and phosphorus) may result in excessive plant
growth, which reduces the amount of dissolved oxygen available for fish and
other aquatic animals. Degraded water quality can also affect economic activities
such as freshwater fisheries, tourism and agriculture.
Why is it happening?
Primary manufacturing and service industries, institutions and households
discharge hundreds of different substances, directly or indirectly, into rivers
and lakes. Many pollutants also make their way into water bodies indirectly
after being released into the air or onto the land. Untreated runoff from agricultural
lands and urban areas can also degrade water quality, as can changes to water
flows. Natural phenomena such as glacial flows, seasonal snow melt and heavy
rainfall can also lead to high levels of suspended sediments that are rich
in nutrients and metals.
Each of the indicators in CESI 2006 focuses on separate issues and reflects
different time periods and geographic scales. They are, however, connected
in some fundamental ways:
Many of the same social and economic forces drive the changes in the indicators.
Some of the same substances impact all three indicators.
The indicators
reflect stresses in many of the same regions of the country.
Population size, distribution and density play a major role in determining
the impacts that human activities have on the environment. Between 1990 and
2004, Canada's population grew by 15%, from 27.7 million people to 32.0 million.
Consumption behaviours are also an important factor. For example, the current
trend towards larger road vehicles has had a significant impact on the emission
of air pollutants. Income and prices are two of the key drivers of these behaviours,
but climate, geography, trends in housing size and density, and the adoption
of technology also play important roles by affecting how much energy or water
Canadians consume.
The structure of the economy and distribution of activities across the country
are other factors which influence the trends in the indicators, both nationally
and regionally. Each industry has different impacts in terms of water usage
and pollutant emissions. Service industries (trade, transportation, travel
and communications) make up 68% of Canada's GDP, while goods-producing industries
(manufacturing, construction and resource industries) account for the remainder.
Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which measures the total value of goods
and services produced in Canada corrected for inflation, increased by 47% from
1990 to 2004. Over the same period, total primary energy consumption increased
by only 26%, indicating a change in the structure of the economy towards service
industries as well as improved energy efficiency.
The 2006 indicator results provide evidence of increased pressure on Canada's
environmental sustainability, the health and wellbeing of Canadians, and the
potential consequences for our long-term economic performance. The trends for
air quality and greenhouse gas emissions are pointing to greater threats to
human health and the planet's climate, while the water quality results show
that guidelines are being exceeded, at least occasionally, at many of the selected
monitoring sites across the country.
Linking the indicators and connecting them to other socio-economic and environmental
information can guide policy decisions that better address economic performance,
quality of life and environmental sustainability. A key consideration is the
socio-economic costs of pollution. For example, Health Canada has estimated,
based on data from eight cities, that 5900 premature deaths each year in these
cities are attributable to air pollution (Judek et al. 2004). Economists have
also tried to estimate the social costs of poor health due to air pollution
in Canada. A monetary estimate of these impacts, including health care costs,
lost productivity, and pain and suffering, runs to the billions of dollars
annually (Chestnut et al. 1999).
Of course, there are also direct costs associated with reducing greenhouse
gas emissions and water and air pollution. Canadian companies have substantially
increased their spending to protect the environment with investments by primary
and manufacturing industries reaching $6.8 billion in 2002, a 24% increase
over expenditures in 2000. Much of this increase resulted from responses to
new environmental regulations and industry's effort to reduce air emissions
such as greenhouse gases.
What's next?
Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicator reports are produced annually,
based on a continually improving set of indicators, with increasingly robust
analyses to track the changes in water quality, air quality and GHG emissions
in Canada. Future reports will benefit from new surveys, enhanced monitoring
capabilities, new scientific knowledge and guidelines, and improved data management
and analytical methods.
This year's report has set the indicators in a socio-economic context. However,
more work is needed to complete the transition from reporting these indicator
results separately to reporting them as a set that is integrated with other
information on the environment, measures of economic performance and indices
of social progress. The long-term goal is improved decision-making that fully
accounts for environmental sustainability
Where can I get more information?
This publication highlights key findings from the Canadian Environmental Sustainability
Indicators 2006 report. The full report provides more detail on each indicator
and the links among them. It is available electronically on the Government
of Canada website on Sustaining the Environment and Resources for Canadians
(www.environmentandresources.ca) and the Statistics Canada website (www.statcan.ca).
These sites also contain background information on each of the indicators -
the science, the data, the methods and the limitations.
Chestnut, L.G., D. Mills and R.D. Rowe. 1999. Air Quality Valuation Model
Version 3.0 (AQVM3.0). Report 2: Methodology. Prepared for Environment Canada
and Health Canada by Stratus Consulting, Boulder, Colorado.
Judek, S., B. Jessiman, D. Stieb and R. Vet. 2004. Estimated Number of Excess
Deaths in Canada due to Air Pollution. Air Health Effects Division, Health
Canada, and Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment Canada (www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/nr-cp/2005/2005_32bk2_e.html; accessed October 24, 2005).
