The Premier of Quebec, François Legault, has repeatedly praised the province’s greenhouse gas (GHG) record, emphasizing that per capita emissions are lower than those of the Canadian average. Taken individually, however, Quebecers emit far too many of these polluting gases to be consistent with the objective of limiting climate disruption.
“I am very proud to be able to say that, if we look at the level of greenhouse gases per person, we have the lowest rate in Canada and the lowest in the United States,” said Prime Minister Legault. in New York in 2023, praising his government’s efforts in terms of energy transition.
According to the most recent assessment of Quebec’s GHG emissions available, that of 2022, average emissions amounted to 9.1 tonnes per capita. For comparison, the Canadian average exceeds 18 tonnes, just like that of the Americans, twice the Quebec average. “From 1990 to 2022, emissions per capita have decreased by 25.1%,” also specifies the most recent Quebec report.
The poorest countries on the planet — many of which are already experiencing the impacts of the climate crisis — have much lower GHG emissions per capita. The average for Latin American and Caribbean countries is 2.64 tonnes. In sub-Saharan Africa, this is 0.76 tonnes, indicate World Bank data.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), average emissions per capita on a global scale should, however, be reduced to 2 tonnes to hope to meet the most ambitious objective of the Paris Agreement, i.e. limit warming to +1.5°C, compared to the pre-industrial era. At 9.1 tonnes, Quebec’s per capita emissions are 4.5 times too high to meet global climate goals.
And that’s not all, since Quebecers’ consumption of resources is also too high, according to what emerges from a document published last fall by Recyc-Québec, and which highlights the fact that our model “linear” economics is based on overconsumption of resources.
Overall, Quebec is responsible for “a significant material footprint” of 271 million tonnes of resources per year, or 32 tonnes per capita, “which far exceeds the global average”. And an average Quebecer consumes more than 570 liters of drinking water per day, compared to 130 liters per day in France.
This reality results, according to the study, from the fact that “the province has a relatively low level of circularity” since barely 3.5% of the economy is considered to be circular, therefore linked to a consumption production system. aimed at optimizing the use of resources at all stages of the life cycle of a good or service. The global average is 7.2%.
“It’s a lie to present yourself as a green company,” concludes Yves-Marie Abraham, professor in the Department of Management at HEC Montréal. “Everything shows us that the way of life of Quebecers is one of the worst on the planet, on a certain number of indicators. We are among the great destroyers of the world. If there is one company that should not be imitated, it is ours. But it is not a question of lecturing Quebecers, since change requires political decisions and a profound transformation of our societies. »
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