Canadian industries cutting emissions

CANADA/ENVIRONMENT - Companies in Canada are cutting their emissions even though the government of Canada is still sitting on the fence when it comes to climate change.

According to an Ontario government report released last Friday, the air is getting cleaner due to lower emissions. Ontario and Alberta produces most of the CO2 emissions in Canada. (One in three Canadians live in Ontario.)

In 2009 there was 3 smog advisories, the lowest number since the government began tracking them in 2002.

Emissions of common air pollutants decreased from 2000 levels:

Nitrogen dioxide down 40%;

Carbon monoxide down 64%;

Sulphur dioxide down 54%.

The report also says there has been a 27% decrease in fine particulate matter concentrations since 2003.

The Ontario government credits replacement of coal-fired power plants with clean energy sources and the Drive Clean program for some of the improvement in air quality, but another big contributor is the manufacturing sector which sometimes uses coal burners to power their factories and has been cutting back on the use of coal.

The data used to determine the current Air Quality Index comes from 40 monitoring sites across Ontario.

FACT: If Canada cut out the use of coal completely we would meet Kyoto reduction levels.