The Hill Times: Is Canada’s ladder against the right wall to fight climate change?

September 20, 2024 – Originally published to The Hill Times

Written by Gary Sharp (NAIMA Canada)

In our haste to control climate change, have we inadvertently focussed on the housing when we should be addressing wildfires?

The federal government recently published the Canada Green Buildings Strategy, which outlines how our country plans to meet the legislated goals laid out in the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act. Specifically, these goals include a commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 to 45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050—both admirable goals.

The Canada Green Buildings Strategy (CGBS) emphasizes the importance of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through building improvements. It aims to make houses greener, more energy efficient, and more affordable. At the same time, our buildings must be made stronger to withstand the impacts of climate change such as extreme weather events including floods, wildfires, hurricanes, intense temperatures, and increases in precipitation. This initiative applies to both new and existing buildings, all of which need to be upgraded.

These are undeniably desirable outcomes, and I support efforts to create more resilient homes and buildings. The CGBS links to various supporting documents from which I will draw data to raise several questions.

Let’s analyze the numbers.

Canada contributes 0.782 billion tonnes of GHG emissions annually, which is 1.46 per cent of the global total of 53.45 billion tonnes. The emissions from our buildings amount to 0.089 billion tonnes, representing 0.167 per cent of the global total.

Practically, even if Canada is successful at getting its GHG emissions to zero, it’s unlikely that the world would notice because we contribute so little to the global total.

Why are we doing this? There is merit in setting an example for the world to follow, setting Canada up as a leader. Our nation did this during the energy crisis of the 1970s when the National Research Council, Natural Resources Canada, and the Canadian Home Builders’ Association collaborated to advance housing. The result was R-2000, a world-class advancement in Canadian housing that brought the world to our door to see what we were doing. This initiative brought international attention, fostered a better understanding of housing, introduced new home-grown housing products, and boosted exports.

Let’s look at GHG emissions from wildfires. The global numbers for emissions don’t include wildfire numbers because these are variable year to year. Wildfire emission numbers are reported separately for each year.  In 2023, Canadian wildfires emitted 0.48 billion tonnes of GHGs, accounting for 23 per cent of global wildfire emissions, which totalled 2.1 billion tonnes.

If we look at Canadian wildfire emissions versus our emissions and emissions from Canadian buildings, the numbers are 0.48/.708 =0.678 (67.8 per cent) and 0.48/0.089 =5.39 (593 per cent), respectively. Let’s put these numbers in perspective. What this means is that in 2023, the emissions from wildfires were 68 per cent as much as our country was emitting from all sources. If we focus only on emissions from buildings, wildfires produced 5.4 times more emissions than all Canadian buildings produced.

This begs the question: “are we focusing on the correct source of emissions in the near term?”. In our haste to extend the ladder of controlling climate change have we inadvertently put it on the housing “wall” when we should have put it on the wildfire’s “wall”? Why are we not focusing on wildfires? Is it because wildfire emission reductions are not part of the Paris Agreement?

Regardless, whether wildfires are part of the international pact, they are producing significant GHG emissions, as well as damage impacting Canadians.

The Canadian Red Cross reports that our country experiences approximately 8,000 wildfires per year, destroying 2.5 million hectares of forest. This doesn’t include the devastation of when a wildfire consumes a town. It is reasonable to question if we should be doing more to identify and rapidly respond to wildfires? We may get more benefits in terms of GHG reductions and damage prevention than from focusing predominantly on housing.

I’m not suggesting that we stop work on housing, but rather I’m questioning where our dollars will generate the most benefits.

Certainly, Canadians need—and deserve—housing that is more energy efficient, more resilient to the changing climate, and more affordable. Resilient homes play a crucial role in mitigating the impact of wildfires. Good building envelopes are fundamental as they help protect homes from climate-related disasters. We advocate for an Envelope First approach to net zero, emphasizing the importance of building insulation in both reducing emissions, and enhancing the durability of homes against wildfires.

By the numbers:

Global numbers

World GHG emissions: (CO2 equivalent) 53.45 billion tonnes (2022)
China: Largest emitter: (CO2 equivalent) 13.94 billion tonnes (2022)
USA: Second largest emitter: (CO2 equivalent) 6.0 billion tonnes (2022)
Canada: (CO2 equivalent) 781.94 million tonnes = 0.782 billion tonnes (2022)
Source: Greenhouse gas emissions, Our World in Data.

Canada numbers

Total emissions: 708 million tonnes = 0.708 billion tonnes (2022)
Buildings emissions: 89 million tonnes = 0.089 billion tonnes (2022)
Buildings = 13 per cent of Canada’s total emissions (0.089/0.708) x 100 per cent = 12.57 per cent (Round up to 13%)
Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canada’s 2024 National Inventory Report

Wildfire numbers

Total emissions: 2100 million tonnes = 2.1 billion tonnes
Canada emissions: 480 million Tonnes = 0.48 billion Tonnes (2023)
Source: Canada produced 23 per cent of the global wildfire carbon emissions for 2023, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service

Gary Sharp is a licensed professional engineer with more than 40 years’ experience in the building industry, and the senior technical adviser at NAIMA Canada. He has written updates to the national Canadian Home Builders’ Association’s Builders’ Manual for the last five editions. At CHBA, Sharp was staff lead on its technical research committee, Canadian renovator council, and home modification council. He also facilitated technical expertise for the Ontario Ministry of Housing, and the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Canada.