The transportation sector is Canada’s second largest emitting sector at 25%, with 186 Mt CO2e emitted in 2018 . The sectors emissions are expected to reach 141 Mt of CO2e by 2030. This represents a 24% reduction in emissions from the sector.
The transportation sector includes emissions associated with the transportation of passengers and freight, as well as residential and commercial transportation (on-road and off-road). The four main subsectors of transportation in Canada are: road, rail, aviation, and marine transport. A prominent feature of Canada’s efforts to control emissions from the transportation sector is with more stringent performance-based GHG emission standards for on-road vehicles. This is because road vehicles make up 76% of all transportation related GHG emissions in Canada .
Transportation represents a significant growth area for the deployment of alternative fuels including biofuels (e.g., bioethanol, biodiesel and biojet), hydrogen, natural gas, liquid natural gas and electricity across various sub-sectors. Additional technologies will be required for vehicles, fuel production, storage and fuelling infrastructure needed to supply the market.