Environmental Trends 2007

Climate Change

Fossil Fuel Use in the Transportation Sector in B.C.

Greenhouse gas emissions from road transport are directly related to the amount of fuel vehicles consume per kilometre and how far they are driven.

Vehicles on B.C. roads are the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.

Source: 2005 data from Environment Canada, 2007

• Photo credit: Ministry of Transportation

  Since 2002, B.C. drivers have been driving fewer kilometres each year. While total distances driven in B.C. and Canada peaked in 2002, the B.C. figure has continued to decline, while the Canadian figures rose again in 2005.

• Sales of smaller passenger cars have increased in comparison with sales of larger vehicles like light trucks and SUVs. This reverses the 1990s trend, in which the sale of large vehicles outnumbered that of smaller cars.

For detailed information, including graph data, see In-Depth Report [pdf].

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