The Human Truth Foundation

Canada and the Environment

https://www.humantruth.info/canada_environment.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2025

#canada #canada_environment #canada_environmentalism #internationalism #USA

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

#climate_change #the_environment

Compared to The Americas (2025)10
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank10
1Uruguay43.2
2Puerto Rico47.1
3Costa Rica49.7
...
18Panama82.5
19Honduras84.6
20Venezuela86.1
21Canada87.2
22Guyana87.4
23Jamaica88.6
24Paraguay91.0
25Belize91.3
26St Vincent & Grenadines92.0
The Americas Avg92.66
q=36.
Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)10
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank10
1Sri Lanka34.9
2Uruguay43.2
3Switzerland45.0
...
110Venezuela86.1
111Taiwan86.1
112Macedonia86.9
113Canada87.2
114Guyana87.4
115Gabon87.9
116Croatia88.5
117Jamaica88.6
World Avg84.93
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:

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 better
5
Pos.Total5
1Guernsey82.6%
2Bahrain75.2%
3Iceland64.7%
...
136=Saudi Arabia0.0%
137Nepal-0.1%
138Finland-0.2%
139Canada-0.3%
140Guadeloupe-0.5%
141Solomon Islands-0.6%
142Western Sahara-0.6%
143Mongolia-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 change11,12. 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 cover14,12, mostly to clear space for agriculture, and for logging15,16. 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 deforestation17,15. 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:

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

Forest Area Change 2000-20202000s 
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 better
2
Pos.20182
1Switzerland87.4
2France84.0
3Denmark81.6
...
22Greece73.6
23Taiwan72.8
24Cyprus72.6
25Canada72.2
26Portugal71.9
27USA71.2
28Slovakia70.6
29Lithuania69.3
The Americas Avg58.8
World Avg56.4
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 better
7
Pos.2022
Avg7
1Rwanda0.25
2Chad0.26
3Tanzania0.31
...
153Iran2.24
154Russia2.25
155Oman2.28
156Canada2.29
157Malta2.36
158Mozambique2.38
159N. Korea2.46
160Laos2.75
The Americas Avg1.42
World Avg1.23
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 Efficiency1960s 
Average
1970s 
Average
1980s 
Average
1990s 
Average
2000s 
Average
2010s 
Average
Canada:4.214.393.973.602.942.56
World Rank:60th ⇣  61st ⇣  133rd ⇣  140th ⇣  152nd ⇣  156th
World Avg:2.052.132.102.151.601.30

2.4. International Accords on the Environment

#environmentalism #internationalism

International Accords on the Environment
Higher is better
Pos.Total
Avg Rate
1Sweden83%
2Canada82%
3Norway81%
4Latvia81%
5Estonia80%
6Ukraine80%
7Finland79%
8Georgia79%
9Switzerland78%
10Nigeria78%
11Germany76%
12Belarus76%
The Americas Avg60.7%
World Avg57.5%
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 Environment1970s 
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 better
3
Pos.2011
%3
1Argentina78.3%
2Greece77.6%
3Brazil77.1%
...
62Ukraine41.5%
63Jordan41.4%
64India41.2%
65Canada41.2%
66Serbia41.1%
67Ghana40.4%
68Moldova40.4%
69Cameroon39.0%
The Americas Avg58.6%
World Avg39.9%
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 better
6
Pos.2021
kg6
1Congo, DR03.0
2Burundi03.5
3Bangladesh04.3
...
159Antigua & Barbuda85.8
160France86.1
161Barbados86.4
162Canada86.9
163New Caledonia87.5
164Montenegro88.4
165Belarus88.9
166Poland89.3
The Americas Avg70.3
World Avg52.5
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 better
1
Pos.2023
Score1
1Iceland6.7
2Finland6.7
3Norway6.4
...
12Belgium5.8
13Italy5.7
14=Ireland5.7
14=Canada5.7
16Luxembourg5.6
17Greece5.6
18Portugal5.5
19USA5.4
The Americas Avg4.6
World Avg4.8
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.