May 17, 2011
Manitoba's Greenhouse-gas Emissions Drop More Than a Megatonne
– – –Province's Climate Change Action Plan Moving Manitoba in Right Direction: Blaikie
Environment Canada’s National Inventory Report shows Manitoba’s greenhouse-gas emissions declined 1.37 megatonnes (1.37 million tonnes) in 2009, a decrease of 6.3 per cent over 2008, Conservation Minister Bill Blaikie announced today.
“This is the first time we have seen a significant drop like this in Manitoba’s greenhouse-gas emissions,” said Blaikie. “We introduced our Climate Change Action Plan in 2008 and adopted legislation committing us to significantly reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. The numbers released today show that we are making solid progress.”
According to the Environment Canada report, Manitoba’s greenhouse-gas emissions in 2009 were five per cent below emissions recorded in 2000. Manitoba’s tree-planting efforts, the impact of provincial biodiesel and ethanol mandates, and sustainable agricultural practices programs are not fully accounted for in the report, said the minister. In 2009, Manitoba Hydro’s clean-energy exports displaced over seven million tonnes of emissions from coal and natural gas in other jurisdictions, representing twice Manitoba’s required Kyoto target, he added.
“We are investing in innovative programs that reflect our commitment to reduce greenhouse gases,” said Blaikie. “We’re now beginning to see those results and the government will continue taking the steps necessary to further reduce our emissions in a variety of sectors.”
Budget 2011 included continued funding for a number of successful greenhouse-gas reduction programs including Trees for Tomorrow, the Manitoba Sustainable Agricultural Practices Program (MSAP), Community-Led Emissions Reduction (CLER), GrEEEn Trucking, wetland restoration and increased geothermal-energy incentives, said Blaikie.
Also announced in the budget was the establishment of a new Climate Change Investment Program to encourage innovative approaches to measure and reduce emissions in the private and non-profit sectors, an electric-vehicle strategy and a Biomass Support Program that will spur the use of carbon-neutral fuels, funded through revenue generated by a new tax on harmful coal emissions, the minister said.
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