'There is no universal sustainable lifestyle,' the report states. If Canada is going to play its part, he said, the country will need to cut per-capita carbon emissions by 82 per cent in the next decade, and by 95 per cent by 2050.Įating meat, using fossil fuel cars, flying, and living in large houses with high energy consumption are all highlighted in the report as lifestyle choices that contribute to larger carbon footprints. 'Not just the individual': Need for better infrastructure 'I do think the atmosphere in Canada provides a real opportunity for us asking for change,' said lead author Lewis Akenji, who is also the managing director of the Hot or Cool Institute.Īkenji said the idea was to link the Paris Agreement targets to tangible lifestyle changes that can make a difference, in light of this year's 'code red' report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). By comparison, the average per-capita footprint in Finland is 9.7 tonnes and in the United Kingdom it's 8.5 tonnes. The average person in Canada produces an equivalent of 14.2 tonnes of CO2 as of 2019, according to the findings. Have questions about climate science, policy or politics? Email us: Your input helps inform our coverage.The analysis compared the average per-capita carbon emissions of people in each of those countries, a metric the authors called 'average lifestyle carbon footprints.' The report focuses on key domains where tangible lifestyle changes could make a significant difference, including food, housing and personal transportation. (Australia and the United States, which are also among the world's highest per-capita emitters, were not included in the report.)

Lewis Akenji, managing director of the Hot or Cool Institute and lead author of the study says it can’t be up to Canadians alone, and the federal government must play a role. Duration 3:09 A study published by a Berlin think-tank says Canadians must cut their carbon footprints by 95 per cent to help the world limit global warming to the 1.5 C goal set by the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Whats my carbon footprint