North America · CAN
Canada Environmental Profile
Canada combines a comparatively low-carbon electricity system with one of the highest levels of primary energy use per person in this collection. Territorial fossil and industrial CO₂ was 533.3 million tonnes in 2024, 16% above 1990, although emissions per person fell 19% as population grew. Hydropower, wind, solar, and bioenergy supplied 64.3% of electricity, and nuclear added 13.4%; gas nevertheless generated 17.2%. FAO reports a small net forest-area loss, a national balance that cannot capture wildfire severity, carbon-stock change, degradation, or regional harvesting patterns. Canada has relatively low modeled vulnerability and strong adaptation readiness, yet warming, wildfire, permafrost thaw, coastal impacts, and northern infrastructure risks are substantial. The core tension is between clean power and institutional capacity on one side, and an energy-intensive economy with persistent fossil emissions on the other.
At a glance
Six signals, each with its own clock
Values are not forced into a false common year. The observation year and source sit on every card.
- Net forest-area change
- −9,819 ha/year
Net loss in the latest interval
Original interpretation
What stands out
Each insight connects multiple indicators instead of repeating a headline number.
A clean grid does not guarantee a low national footprint
Renewables and nuclear together supplied 77.7% of Canadian electricity in 2024, yet territorial CO₂ per person remained 13.42 tonnes and primary energy use exceeded 90,000 kWh per person. Transport distances, buildings, heavy industry, fuel production, and direct combustion explain why power-sector cleanliness is only one part of decarbonization.
See the evidenceHydropower anchors the grid while gas remains consequential
Hydropower generated 53.9% of electricity and wind added 7.4%, giving Canada a strong low-carbon foundation. Gas still supplied 17.2%, with provincial mixes differing sharply. Interprovincial transmission, electrification, storage, demand management, and regional policy will determine whether clean generation can replace direct fossil use and gas-fired power.
See the evidenceNet forest area misses the disturbance story
FAO's latest national balance shows a modest net forest-area loss, but area is not carbon stock or ecosystem condition. Severe wildfire, insects, drought, logging, regeneration, and permafrost change can alter emissions and habitat without equivalent shifts in mapped forest area. The indicator should therefore anchor questions, not close the analysis.
See the evidenceEmissions
A trajectory, not just a latest value
Territorial fossil and industrial CO₂, with total and per-person views using the same selected years.
Canada CO₂ history
533.3 million t in 2024, compared with 458.0 million t CO₂ in 1990.
The complete values are available in the data table below. JavaScript adds the visual chart.
View emissions data table
| Year | Total (t CO₂) | Per person (t) |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 458,017,860 | 16.48 |
| 1995 | 491,305,340 | 16.68 |
| 2000 | 566,679,900 | 18.34 |
| 2005 | 570,396,100 | 17.58 |
| 2010 | 554,307,460 | 16.21 |
| 2015 | 563,002,560 | 15.66 |
| 2020 | 524,207,940 | 13.73 |
| 2021 | 537,478,660 | 13.98 |
| 2022 | 547,657,660 | 14.11 |
| 2023 | 545,478,500 | 13.88 |
| 2024 | 533,340,100 | 13.42 |
Energy transition
Electricity is the leading edge—not the whole system
Generation shares show the power recipe. Primary energy per person supplies the wider context.
Renewable electricity share
64.3% in 2024.
The complete values are available in the data table below. JavaScript adds the visual chart.
View renewable-share data table
| Year | Renewable share |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 60.61% |
| 2005 | 60.07% |
| 2010 | 61.06% |
| 2015 | 63.84% |
| 2020 | 66.60% |
| 2021 | 66.74% |
| 2022 | 68.13% |
| 2023 | 65.40% |
| 2024 | 64.27% |
Electricity mix, 2024
636.8 TWh of domestic generation; shares are derived from the nine source rows.
- Coal
- 3.95% 25.14 TWh
- Gas
- 17.21% 109.60 TWh
- Oil
- 1.15% 7.30 TWh
- Nuclear
- 13.42% 85.47 TWh
- Hydropower
- 53.90% 343.20 TWh
- Wind
- 7.35% 46.83 TWh
- Solar
- 1.48% 9.42 TWh
- Bioenergy
- 1.54% 9.83 TWh
- Other renewables
- 0.00% 0.00 TWh
Land and food
Net forest change and agricultural gases
Two useful indicators with deliberately separate accounting boundaries.
Net forest-area change
2025−9,819 ha/year
Expansion minus deforestation; this is not gross natural-forest loss. 2020–2025 average.
Agricultural emissions
202366.5 Mt CO₂e
IPCC Agriculture greenhouse gases in CO₂e; excludes land-use CO₂ and energy.
Climate risk and biodiversity
Scores need direction, definition, and restraint
Exposure is kept separate from vulnerability and readiness; biodiversity coverage is not presented as ecological success.
Climate exposure
20240.404 / 1
0 is lower; 1 is higher
Modeled biophysical exposure component of ND-GAIN; invariant across the time series.
Climate vulnerability
20240.282 / 1
Down from 0.315 in 1995
Exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity combined; lower is better.
Adaptation readiness
20240.643 / 1
1 is more ready
Economic, governance, and social readiness to convert investment into adaptation.
Red List Index
20240.97 / 1
Unchanged from 0.97 in 1995
Closer to 1 indicates lower aggregate extinction risk among assessed groups.
Protected KBA coverage
202433.8%
+15.3 points since 2000
Average share of terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas.
Synthesis
Connections to watch
Watch 01
Compare the low-carbon power share with direct fossil use in transport, heat, industry, and extraction.
Watch 02
Read forest area beside wildfire, carbon-stock, habitat-quality, and regeneration indicators.
Watch 03
Examine climate risk regionally, especially where warming and infrastructure exposure are most rapid.
What these numbers cannot tell us: National indicators cannot resolve local inequality, implementation quality, ecosystem condition, or the lived impacts of pollution and climate hazards. They are a starting map for investigation, not a verdict.
Methodology and downloads
A reproducible, bounded snapshot
24Earth retrieved this snapshot on 14 July 2026 and stores it locally. Each source is refreshed on its own schedule, so every metric retains its observation year instead of being relabeled “current.” Values are rounded only for display; downloads retain source precision where reuse permits.
Indicator data dictionary and source ledger
| Source family | Coverage / update | License / reuse | Boundary and 24Earth treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Carbon Budget (2025), processed by Our World in Data Global Carbon Project and Our World in Data | Through 2024; source update 2025-11-13 | Source citation requested; OWID Chart API material is CC BY 4.0 where applicable, with original source terms continuing to apply. | Territorial fossil-fuel and industrial CO₂. Land-use change is excluded. |
| Yearly Electricity Data, compiled by Our World in Data Ember via Our World in Data | Through 2024–2025, depending on country; source update 2026-04-24 | CC BY 4.0 | 24Earth uses 2000 onward so the displayed generation data is within Ember coverage, avoiding legacy Energy Institute rows. |
| International primary energy consumption per capita U.S. Energy Information Administration | Through 2024; source update 2026 | U.S. government data are public domain; attribution requested. | EIA series INTL.47-33-{ISO3}-MBTUPP.A converted from million Btu per person to kWh per person using 293.07107. This is EIA, not IEA. |
| Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, processed by Our World in Data | Through 2025; source update 2025-12-05 | FAO open-data terms; attribution required. | Average annual net forest-area change for the latest assessment interval, not gross tree-cover loss. |
| FAOSTAT Emissions Totals — IPCC Agriculture Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations | Through 2023; source update 2025-10-28 | CC BY 4.0 with FAO database terms | Item 1711, IPCC Agriculture; Element 723113, emissions in CO₂-equivalent using AR5 factors; FAO Tier 1. Source kt CO₂e values are multiplied by 1,000 for displayed tonnes. |
| World Population Prospects 2024 United Nations, processed by Our World in Data | Through 2023; source update 2024 | United Nations data terms; attribution required. | Historical population estimate used for context; it is not forced to the year of other indicators. |
| ND-GAIN Country Index 2026 release Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative | Through 2024; source update 2026-06-26 | CC BY 3.0 | Exposure is a modeled biophysical index from 0 (lower) to 1 (higher); it is not observed disaster loss. |
| Red List Index (UN SDG 15.5.1) BirdLife International and IUCN, distributed through UN SDG data and Our World in Data | Through 2024; source update 2025-10-29 | Original IUCN and BirdLife reuse terms apply. Display only; omitted from downloads. | A national aggregate from OWID's 2025-10-29 snapshot is displayed with attribution. It differs from a later live UNSD revision, so versions are not blended. Raw species data and this metric are excluded from 24Earth downloads. |
| Protected coverage of terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas (UN SDG 15.1.2) BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC, distributed through UN SDG data and Our World in Data | Through 2024; source update 2025-10-29 | Original provider and Protected Planet reuse terms apply. Display only; omitted from downloads. | The national SDG aggregate is displayed with attribution. Raw protected-area and KBA data are not redistributed by 24Earth. |
Download the Canada profile snapshot
CSV is analysis-friendly; JSON preserves definitions, precision, and source metadata. Biodiversity aggregates are intentionally omitted from both files while original reuse rights are reviewed.
Licensing decision: This profile does not redistribute IEA data. Primary energy comes from U.S. EIA. Electricity history begins in Ember’s openly licensed modern coverage. Source access and reuse permission are treated as separate questions.
