According to the Conference Board of Canada, Canada ranks 15th of the 17 OECD countries in its environmental performance, mostly due to waste and overconsumption of water and energy. “Canada receives a “C” grade on environmental performance…
Canada’s success in improving its environmental performance has been mixed. It has improved air quality, reduced its energy intensity, and increased the growth of forest resources relative to forest harvest. But Canada must do more to lower greenhouse gas emissions, to use its freshwater resources more wisely, and to reduce waste.
To improve its overall performance, Canada must promote economic growth without further degrading the environment, partly by encouraging more sustainable consumption.
…But several of Canada’s dismal results are due to overconsumption. In addition to generating the most waste, Canadians’ water withdrawals are nearly double the average of the other countries and are lower only than the United States. And despite some improvement, Canadians are still the largest users of energy in the developed world.”
The Conference Board uses fourteen indicators to assess environmental performance across six dimensions:
- air quality
- waste
- water quality and quantity
- biodiversity and conservation
- natural resource management
- climate change and energy efficiency
Canada is above average on 5 indicators, and below average on the other 9.