Saskatchewan pumps out most GHG emissions per capita: report - Action News
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Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan pumps out most GHG emissions per capita: report

Saskatchewan is not getting high marks from the Pembina Institute when it comes to fighting climate change it has the highest greenhouse gas emissions per capita in Canada.

Pembina Institute says Saskatchewan needs economy-wide carbon pricing to cut pollution

Saskatchewan's carbon capture facility at the Boundary Dam power station is part of its strategy to fight climate change, but it won't be enough to bring down emissions to where they should be, the Pembina Institute says. (SaskPower)

Saskatchewan is not getting high marks from the Pembina Institute when it comes to fighting climate change it has the highest greenhouse gas emissions per capita in Canada.

The institute came out with a report this week titled Race to the Frontthat ranks the provinces on climate change initiatives and greenhouse gas emissions.

It says Saskatchewan's67.2tonnesper person annually makes it Canada's worst emitter per capita.

Greenhouse emissions have grown about eightper cent here since 2005, the report says.

In a news conference in Ottawa, Erin Flanagan, the main author of the report, had some blunt words for Premier Brad Wall and his government.

"Saskatchewan has not made a commitment to phase out coal-fired power," she said.

Premier Brad Wall has argued that some carbon-pricing schemes, which the Pembina Institute supports, are taxes that will hurt the economy. (Adam Hunter/CBC)

"Saskatchewan has also not moved forward on proactive methane regulations for its oil and gas sector. And those are two very important sectors from an emissions profile perspective for that province."

In order to reduce emissions in the near term, Saskatchewan should consider implementing economy-wide
carbon pricing and an accelerated phase-out of coal-fired power, the report says.

However, Wall has in recent years been acritic ofcarbon-pricing in some forms, calling it a tax that would hurt the economy.