If It Matters, Measure It: A Review of Methane Sources and Mitigation Policy in Canada

Abstract

Methane, an important greenhouse gas with high global warming potential, is critically under-regulated and overlooked by policymakers in Canada. In this paper, we seek to close the science-policy knowledge gap by reviewing the sources of methane emissions in Canada, policies in place, and mitigation options for each source. We show three primary sectors account for 94 per cent of Canada’s methane emissions: oil and gas, agriculture, and waste. The oil and gas sector is the largest contributor to national methane emissions, as well as the only sector with methane regulations and a methane reduction target. Livestock is the largest single source of methane emissions in Canada, however, and agriculture is the largest source of unregulated and unpriced methane in Canada. Our review reveals that methane emissions management for all sectors is hindered by emissions measurement challenges. Due largely to these challenges, most of Canada’s methane emissions are unregulated and policy options are limited. Broadly, options include command and control regulation or financial penalties for oil and gas methane, incentives for farm-level reductions in agricultural methane, and upstream or downstream waste recovery. Better methane management is crucial to achieving Canada’s 2030 and 2050 emissions reduction goals. Key short-term policy actions are improving and standardizing current emissions estimates and identifying unregulated sources. Longer-term actions require further study of cost-effective regulatory options across all sources, to support stricter regulations or well-defined market-based approaches with measurable outcomes.