Unceded Algonquin Territory — Ottawa, ON | September 4, 2024

A new report analyzing the latest government data on climate pollution shows that greenhouse gas emissions from logging in Canada rival emissions from transportation and are much higher than previous estimates.

The report, released by Nature Canada, Nature Québec and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), found that the logging industry in Canada emitted almost 150 million tonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in 2022, more than 20% of Canada’s total reported emissions.

“This study dismantles the industry and government narrative that the current scale of clear-cut logging is sustainable,” said Michael Polanyi of Nature Canada. “Federal and provincial governments must take immediate action to reduce the logging sector’s significant carbon footprint and ensure genuinely sustainable practices.”

The report concluded that logging is Canada’s third-highest-emitting sector (147 Mt CO₂ in 2022), behind oil and gas (217 Mt CO₂) and transportation (156 Mt CO₂). Logging emissions were calculated from government data in Canada’s 2024 National Inventory Report (NIR) using the methodology from a 2024 peer-reviewed article.

Scientists, policymakers, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, and most recently, a United Nations expert review panel, have raised concerns that the way in which Canada reports logging emissions in its NIR is not transparent.

“The logging industry’s climate impact is right there in the numbers; the government has simply chosen to look away,” said Jennifer Skene of NRDC. “This disavowal of reality doesn’t change the fact that much of the logging in Canada is out of alignment with climate-safe practices and, increasingly, out of alignment with marketplace expectations for sustainability.”

Last year, Nature Canada and NRDC found that emissions from logging in 2021 were 73 Mt CO₂. Due to a change in the underlying data as a result of the government’s recalculation of the historic area logged, that figure doubled in this year’s report.

Annual logging emissions, after the government’s recalculation, averaged 189 Mt CO₂/year between 2005 and 2022, only slightly lower than the average annual emissions from the oil and gas sector (214 Mt CO₂ per year), and higher than average transportation emissions (161 Mt CO₂ per year).

The NGO report also highlights that emissions from the sector have become so significant that, even with skewed methodology, this year’s NIR reported “forestry” as a carbon source. This alone, the report argues, compels the government to begin integrating logging emission mitigation into its broader climate strategy.

Nature Canada is Canada’s voice for nature. For 85 years, Nature Canada has helped protect nearly 144 million acres of parks and wildlife areas in Canada and countless species. Today, Nature Canada represents a network of over 250,000 members and supporters and more than 1,200 nature organizations.

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world’s natural resources, public health, and the environment. 

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For more information:

Michael Polanyi
343-553-6060
[email protected]

Margie Kelly
312-651-7935
[email protected]