University of Alberta
Renewable Resources 480
Methods and Data Gathering
Our data was drawn from national and international databases. The methods of their data collection primarily rely on surveys and modeling interpolation. We reformatted our data for analysis in R to visualize emissions, population, and GDP data.
GHG Emission Data
Our Canadian data is grouped by province and territory, as well as emission sector, displayed in megatons (MT) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), which is a term used to describe different greenhouse gases with a standard unit weighted by their impact on global warming (Brander 2012). Emissions were estimated using models and industry reports (Government of Canada 2023).
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The global emission data is separated by country. The data is displayed in metric tons of CO2 per capita from 1990 to 2020. Emissions were estimated through reporting and extrapolation methods.
The data was extracted from the Canada Energy Regulator website and the World Bank Website (ECCC 2023; World Bank n.d.). No data table exists for the Canadian emission data, so a data table was constructed by hand.
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GDP Data
This data shows the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for each Province and Territory of Canada, from 1997 to 2019. The units are in current dollars CAD as of May 2023. GDP provides an indicator measurement for the well being of an economy (Statistics Canada 2023). GDP was calculated per industry, and then the GDP of each industry within a province or territory was summed to calculate GDP for the entire region (Statistics Canada 2023). GDP was estimated for non-commercial industries. A survey is completed yearly.
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Population Data
The population data for each Province and Territory was taken from Statistics Canada. They are based on census counts of citizens, immigrants, and non-permanent residents, and adjusted for under coverage (Government of Canada n.d.).
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The world population data is from the United Nations mid-year estimates of populations for each country (United Nations Population Division 2022). We drew data from 1990-2020 to match our emission data. Total number of people was measured mid-year, using model-based interpolation from census data. National surveys and analyses of historical data trends informed the methods for the model used (United Nations Population Division 2022).
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Global GHG Emission Data
Selected Countries
We analysed all countries in different groups based on commitment status and stage of development (represented by Annex type). We also analysed the following countries individually, to better understand emission trends at a national scale. These countries were the top 5 emitters in each respective category in 2005; the date when the Kyoto Protocol was ratified by every country (ClimateWatch n.d.). There are only 3 countries that did not commit to the Kyoto Protocol fully, so we combined them for some of our analysis.
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Annex type (Annex I or Non-Annex I) are indicative of commitment level, with Annex I countries having higher-stakes commitments than Non-Annex countries. While Annex I nations were legally bound to comply to the policy, Non-Annex I countries were only encouraged to reduce emissions (UNFCCC n.d, Ministry of Foreign Affairs n.d.).
Annex I that Signed
Annex I countries are industrialized countries or countries with economies in transition. They had legal commitments of emission reduction when signing the kyoto protocol (UNFCCC n.d.)
Non-Annex I that Signed
Non-Annex I countries are developing countries that are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change (UNFCCC n.d.). They are encouraged to reduce emissions, but are not legally required to (Ministry of Foreign Affairs n.d.)
Australia
Luxembourg
Ireland
New Zealand
Iceland
Qatar
Kuwait
Bahrain
United Arab Emirates
Turkmenistan
Did Not Sign
This category includes Annex I and Non-Annex I countries that did not commit to the Kyoto Protocol, either by not signing to it or not ratifying it (UNFCCC n.d.). It is important to note that Canada originally signed the Kyoto protocol, but then withdrew in 2011 (National Round Table 2012).
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Canada and the United States are both Annex I countries, while Andorra is a non-Annex I country.
Canada
The United States of America
Andorra
(Worldometer [2023]; UNFCCC n.d.)
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