Canada and the Environment

Canada comes 113th in the world with regard to its responsibility towards the environment. This rank is calculated from 7 data sets. Canada does the second-best in its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment. It comes in the best 20 when it comes to its score on the Green Future Index₁ (one of the highest in The Americas). It does better than average in its environmental performance₂ (the best in The Americas) and in the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₃ (but amongst the lowest in The Americas). Canada got off to an early start in its efforts, when the environmentalist lobby group Greenpeace was founded in Vancouver in 1971₄. But, there's bad news too. Canada does worse than average in terms of its forested percent change 2000-2020₅ and in reducing annual meat consumption per person₆. And finally, it sits amongst the bottom 20 for energy to GDP efficiency₇ (amongst the worst in The Americas). In 2015 it was noted that the Conservative Party of Canada only pays "lip service" to preventing climate change, but at least, it does this in the face of its large tar sands oil industry₈. In 2021, things got worse, not better, when party members voted not to recognize the climate crisis as real₉.

1. Canada's Responsibility Towards The Environment
2. Data Sets
   1. Forest Area Change 2000-2020
   2. Environmental Performance
   3. Energy to GDP Efficiency
   4. International Accords on the Environment
   5. Rational Beliefs on the Environment
   6. Meat Consumption
   7. Green Future Index
3. Links

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1. Canada's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#climate_change #the_environment

Compared to The Americas (2025)10
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank10
1	Uruguay	43.2
2	Puerto Rico	47.1
3	Costa Rica	49.7
	...
18	Panama	82.5
19	Honduras	84.6
20	Venezuela	86.1
21	Canada	87.2
22	Guyana	87.4
23	Jamaica	88.6
24	Paraguay	91.0
25	Belize	91.3
26	St Vincent & Grenadines	92.0
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=36.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)10
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank10
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
110	Venezuela	86.1
111	Taiwan	86.1
112	Macedonia	86.9
113	Canada	87.2
114	Guyana	87.4
115	Gabon	87.9
116	Croatia	88.5
117	Jamaica	88.6
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

• " Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

2. Data Sets

2.1. Forest Area Change 2000-2020

#biodiversity #deforestation #environmentalism #forests #over-exploitation #the_environment

Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better5
Pos.		Total5
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
136=	Saudi Arabia	0.0%
137	Nepal	-0.1%
138	Finland	-0.2%
139	Canada	-0.3%
140	Guadeloupe	-0.5%
141	Solomon Islands	-0.6%
142	Western Sahara	-0.6%
143	Mongolia	-0.6%
	The Americas Avg	-2.1%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

Canada is 139th in the world in terms of its forested percent change 2000-2020.

Forests are carbon sinks, mitigating against climate change_11,12. Unfortunately, we are destroying over 70,000 km² of forest each year₁₃. In the last few thousand years, we've removed 30-40% of the Earth's forest cover_14,12, mostly to clear space for agriculture, and for logging_15,16. The produce from both is shipped from poorer countries to richer ones. Half-hearted government efforts and company obfuscation of supply chains makes it almost impossible for consumers to tell which foods and products are from sustainable sources, and which ones are encouraging irresponsible deforestation, meaning that there is little incentive for companies to relent.

The effects are catastrophic. 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions are the result of deforestation_17,15. It brings soil erosion from wind and rain which, over time, can almost-permanently stop any hope of growing food₁₈, and spreads desertification. Entire ecosystems are collapsing as a result, including ones that we depend upon₁₉. The water cycle is driven by forests, and their loss reduces ordinary rainfall, increases flooding, removes an abundant source of water filtration, and contributes to a rise in water levels.₂₀.

Some regions of the world are increasing their forest cover₁₂; the best from 2000-2020 are Scandinavia (13.8% ), The Balkans (11.0% ) and Baltic States (7.6% )₅. There is an overall trend that developed countries gathered their riches by using up their natural resources, and now, they pay poorer countries to use up theirs instead, whilst they can afford to slowly rebuild their natural environments. But it's not wholly that simple - some rich regions are still burning through what they've got. The regions clearing their forests fastest are Central America (-12.8% ), Africa (-9.1% ) and North America (-2.9% )₅.

For more, see:

• "Deforestation" by Vexen Crabtree (2024).

Averages by decade for Canada (for the ranks, lower is better):

Forest Area Change 2000-2020	2000s  Average	2010s  Average
Canada:	-0.1%	-0.1%
World Rank:	134th	⇣  146th
World Avg:	0.6%	-0.7%

2.2. Environmental Performance

#climate_change #energy #sustainability #the_environment

Environmental Performance Higher is better2
Pos.		20182
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
22	Greece	73.6
23	Taiwan	72.8
24	Cyprus	72.6
25	Canada	72.2
26	Portugal	71.9
27	USA	71.2
28	Slovakia	70.6
29	Lithuania	69.3
	The Americas Avg	58.8
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

The highest in The Americas Canada is 25th in the world in terms of its environmental performance.

The Environmental Performance Index 2018 data includes 24 indicators including air pollution, water and sanitation, biodiversity, ecosystems and environmental health, combined into a single score by country, by the Yale University Center for Environmental Law & Policy.

2.3. Energy to GDP Efficiency

#energy #sustainability #the_environment

Energy to GDP Efficiency Lower is better7
Pos.		2022 Avg7
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
153	Iran	2.24
154	Russia	2.25
155	Oman	2.28
156	Canada	2.29
157	Malta	2.36
158	Mozambique	2.38
159	N. Korea	2.46
160	Laos	2.75
	The Americas Avg	1.42
	World Avg	1.23
q=165.

Canada ranks 10th-worst in the world regarding energy to GDP efficiency (amongst the worst in The Americas).

GDP per unit of energy consumption is often called 'Energy Intensity'. It's how efficient countries are at producing GDP in terms of primary energy use. It represents primary energy consumption using the substitution method, per unit of gross domestic product (GDP). A lower value means that less energy was used to maintain the country's GDP.

Averages by decade for Canada (for the ranks, lower is better):

Energy to GDP Efficiency	1960s  Average	1970s  Average	1980s  Average	1990s  Average	2000s  Average	2010s  Average
Canada:	4.21	4.39	3.97	3.60	2.94	2.56
World Rank:	60th	⇣  61st	⇣  133rd	⇣  140th	⇣  152nd	⇣  156th
World Avg:	2.05	2.13	2.10	2.15	1.60	1.30

2.4. International Accords on the Environment

#environmentalism #internationalism

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
4	Latvia	81%
5	Estonia	80%
6	Ukraine	80%
7	Finland	79%
8	Georgia	79%
9	Switzerland	78%
10	Nigeria	78%
11	Germany	76%
12	Belarus	76%
	The Americas Avg	60.7%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

Canada comes 2nd-best in the world, after Sweden, regarding its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment. Canada has quickly enacted many international accords on the environment in their first year, ahead of most other countries, including the Basel Convention on waste, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Vienna Convention on the ozone layer in 1986 (one of just 8 countries who ratified it so quickly) and the Montreal Protocol on protecting the ozone layer in 1988. It also signed the Convention on Biological Diversity on its first day in 1993 and was first to enact the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (in 2001).

But Canada done serious damage to its reputation when in 2011 it became the only country to (ever) announce its withdraw from the Kyoto agreement; this was because it wasn't meeting its emission reduction targets and didn't want to face potential penalties whilst the USA avoided the Protocol altogether.

Averages by decade for Canada (for the ranks, lower is better):

International Accords on the Environment	1970s  Average	1980s  Average	1990s  Average	2000s  Average	2010s  Average
Canada:	47%	95%	70%	93%	88%
World Rank:	1st	⇣  2nd	⇣  8th	⇡  7th	⇣  153rd
World Avg:	8.5%	23.3%	45.0%	74.4%	90.7%

2.5. Rational Beliefs on the Environment

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better3
Pos.		2011 %3
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
62	Ukraine	41.5%
63	Jordan	41.4%
64	India	41.2%
65	Canada	41.2%
66	Serbia	41.1%
67	Ghana	40.4%
68	Moldova	40.4%
69	Cameroon	39.0%
	The Americas Avg	58.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

Amongst the worst in The Americas Canada is 65th in the world when it comes to the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population.

2.6. Meat Consumption

#animal_rights #animal_welfare #diet #food #health #meat #veganism #vegetarianism

Meat Consumption Lower is better6
Pos.		2021 kg6
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
159	Antigua & Barbuda	85.8
160	France	86.1
161	Barbados	86.4
162	Canada	86.9
163	New Caledonia	87.5
164	Montenegro	88.4
165	Belarus	88.9
166	Poland	89.3
	The Americas Avg	70.3
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

Canada ranks 162nd in the world regarding reducing annual meat consumption per person.

Vegetarian diets have health advantages over carnivorous diets. Plant-based diets use much less water than carnivorous ones, to the extent that agricultural and water management scientists are urging governments to encourage people to switch₂₁. Some vegetarians are morally opposed to the maltreatment of animals: some avoid meat products as an offensive against the meat industry. But there are problems with vegetarians, too. Some merely want to look good socially; some have accepted pro-vegetarian ideas that are plain wrong and misguided, and, some faddish vegetarian diets are harmful and dangerous. The countries that ate the least meat throughout the 2010s were Burundi, Congo, DR and Bangladesh₆.

In the 2010s, meat consumption per person in Canada was nearly double the global average (of 49kgs per year), putting unnecessary strain on water supplies and the environment.₆

On average throughout the 2010s, Canada's rate was 91.9.

2.7. Green Future Index

#climate_change #energy #sustainability #the_environment

Green Future Index Higher is better1
Pos.		2023 Score1
1	Iceland	6.7
2	Finland	6.7
3	Norway	6.4
	...
12	Belgium	5.8
13	Italy	5.7
14=	Ireland	5.7
14=	Canada	5.7
16	Luxembourg	5.6
17	Greece	5.6
18	Portugal	5.5
19	USA	5.4
	The Americas Avg	4.6
	World Avg	4.8
q=76.

One of the highest in The Americas Canada ranks 14th-best in the world in terms of its score on the Green Future Index.

The Green Futures Index (GFI) has been running since 2021, and looks at 23 data sets for over 70 countries, with a focus on effectiveness, policy and planning 'for a low carbon future. It is complementary to existing goals and frameworks for sustainable development'. Datasets include qualitative appraisals and quantitative measurements on carbon emissions across multiple sectors, renewable and nuclear energy, recycling capabilities, green technologies used in building and construction, transport, scientific and industrial green innovations and patent quantities, climate action and climate policies. Each country is then ranked by their final score.₂₂.