Greenhouse-gas emissions drop in 2006, but still soar above Kyoto targets

The federal government's annual greenhouse-gas inventory says Canadians produced 721 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2006. That's 1.9 per cent below 2005 levels, but 29.1 per cent above Canada's Kyoto Protocol target of 558.4 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

The Conservative government has ignored Canada's signed Kyoto commitment, and has instead promised to bring down greenhouse-gas emissions by 20 per cent from 2006 levels by 2020.

The figures released Friday effectively set the government's baseline for future emissions reductions.

"While greenhouse gas emissions have decreased in 2006 for a number of reasons, we have to continue the fight against climate change," Environment Minister John Baird said in a statement.

Environment Canada attributed the 2006 drop to lower emissions from fossil fuel production, less demand for heating fuels because of a string of warmer winters, and greater reliance on cleaner hydro and nuclear power.

Emissions associated with oil refining fell 3.2 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, 17 per cent from 2005 levels.

John Drexhage of the International Institute for Sustainable Development was at a loss to explain the drop in oil-refining emissions.

But he said the reduction is proof industry can reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions if it puts its mind to it.

"The engineers are a very ingenious bunch, and usually you can find a lot more significant reductions that what people had thought," he said.