Canadian government amends regulation setting out specified gases and their global warming ‎potentials

The schedule to the Carbon Neutral Government Regulation setting out the Specified Gases and Their Global Warming Potentials was amended by OIC 682/2022, effective December 19, 2022, to adjust the 100 year time horizon global warming potential figures for the various specified gases.

The Carbon Neutral Government Regulation (the “Regulation”) creates the requirement for all public sector organizations to determine, report and verify greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, vehicles and paper use, and establishes the requirement to purchase emission offsets in order to become carbon neutral. Public sector organizations are also required to verify data and emissions information, and report annually on their progress through the Carbon Neutral Action Report.

The Regulation sets out how measurements of emissions are to be expressed for the purposes of the Climate Change Accountability Act. The greenhouse gas emissions must be expressed in tonnes based on their carbon dioxide equivalencies and tonnes of each specific greenhouse gas listed in the schedule to the Carbon Neutral Government Regulation. Carbon dioxide equivalent is defined as the mass of carbon dioxide that would produce the same global warming impact as a given mass of another greenhouse gas, as determined using the 100 year time horizon global warming potential set out in column 4 of the schedule to the Regulation.

The schedule to the Regulation is also referred to in the Greenhouse Gas Emission Reporting Regulation for purposes of the definition of “carbon dioxide equivalent” in the Greenhouse Gas Industrial Reporting and Control Act — the mass of carbon dioxide that would produce the same global warming impact as a given mass of a greenhouse gas is determined by multiplying the mass of the greenhouse gas by the applicable 100 year time horizon global warming potential as set out in the schedule.

To find out more about this amendment please contact the authors or any member of our Environmental Law team.