Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators

Canada's environment continues to face challenges with respect to air and water quality and greenhouse gas emissions, according to the third annual report of environmental sustainability indicators. The report found that the indicator of exposure to ground-level ozone, a component of smog, has increased over time. Greenhouse gas emissions remained at nearly the same level in 2005 as in 2004, but are still significantly above 1990 levels and Canada's target under the Kyoto Protocol. As in last year's report, the water quality indicator shows that guidelines for protecting aquatic life were not met, at least occasionally, at many monitoring sites across the country. Phosphorous, a pollutant derived mainly from human activities, was a major concern for the quality of surface freshwater in Canada. The indicator results are partly due to the growing Canadian population and economy. Between 1990 and 2005, Canada's population increased by 17%, to 32.3 million. This increase, coupled with economic growth, led to greater resource use and waste production, increased greenhouse gas emissions and, in certain cases, more air and water pollution.