Alberta’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction performance

Greenhouse gas emissions reduction with economic growth

Overall emissions in the province are declining. As of 2024, Alberta’s total emissions have declined by 28.4 million tonnes – an 9.8% reduction since 2015.

• Electricity sector emissions decreased 24.0 Mt from 2015 to 2024 – a 58.0% decline (2005 to 2024 is a 64% decline).
• Natural gas production and processing emissions decreased 15.1 Mt from 2015 to 2024 – a 27.8% decline.
• Conventional oil emissions decreased 7.4 Mt from 2015 to 2024 – an 28.6% decline.
• Transportation emissions decreased 3.7 Mt from 2015 to 2024 – a 13.5% decline.
• Heavy industry emissions decreased 2.3 Mt from 2015 to 2024 – an 12.1% decline.

According to Canada’s 2026 National Inventory Report, Alberta’s total emissions were 260.1 million tonnes in 2024, down 28.4 million tonnes from 2015.

Notably, emissions declined while the economy grew.

• Alberta has lowered emissions and projected growth in emissions significantly, decoupling emissions growth from economic growth.
• Alberta decreased its emissions intensity from 1.01 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per $1,000 of GDP (2015 dollars) in 2005 to 0.72 in 2024 – a 29% decline.
• Alberta’s GDP increased 45% between 2005 and 2024 while emissions grew by just 3.6%.

Methane reductions from conventional oil and gas

In 2015, Alberta was the first regional government in North America to commit to reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. The province committed to reducing these emissions by 45% from 2014 levels by 2025 and reached that target 3 years early.

Electricity emission reductions

Electricity emissions have declined by 64% since 2005.

In 2015, Alberta announced the province would eliminate emissions from coal power generation by 2030. Alberta achieved this target more than 6 years ahead of schedule, with the last coal fired power plant in Alberta transitioning to natural gas fuel in June 2024. Alberta will have avoided 290 Mt CO2e between 2015 and 2030 by moving to a lower-emitting electricity mix, including getting off coal early.

In 2016, Alberta set a target to generate 30% of its total electricity from renewable sources by 2030, with interim targets of 20% in 2025 and 26% in 2028. Alberta’s renewable wind and solar energy growth has the province on track to meet or exceed this target.

• In 2024, 3.2 gigawatts of new wind and solar capacity installed in Canada. Over 1.7 gigawatts (or 54%) was in Alberta.
• In 2025, wind, solar, and hydro generation provided approximately 21% of Alberta’s total electricity generation.

The emissions intensity of Alberta’s electricity grid has decreased from 907 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt hour of electricity generated in 2005 to 335 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt hour in 2024. This is equivalent to a 63% reduction in 2024 from 2005 levels.

Transportation emission reductions

Oil sands improvements

The emissions intensity of Alberta oil sands bitumen production has declined by 28% per barrel from 2012 to 2024. At the same time, production increased by 105%.

• In-situ emissions intensity declined by 14.3% (from 0.489 to 0.419 t CO₂e per cubic metre) and integrated mining emissions intensity declined by 26.3% (from 0.587 to 0.432 t CO₂e per cubic metre) from 2012 to 2024.
• Standalone mining operations, which were not present in 2012, are responsible for a significant portion of this decline in emissions intensity. Stand-alone mining had an emissions intensity of 0.191 t CO₂e per cubic metre in 2024, which is roughly 46% of the emissions intensity of in-situ mining and 44% of the emissions intensity of integrated mining operations.
• Forecasts expect that intensity will likely fall 20 to 28% in the oil and gas sector between 2020 and 2035 – IHS Markit/S&P Global Report on the trajectory of oil sands GHG emissions: 2009-35

Industrial carbon pricing – TIER impacts

In 2007, Alberta introduced the first industrial carbon pricing and emissions trading system in North America. Since then, this has reduced emissions, supported industry with a flexible approach and helped grow Alberta’s economy.

As of April 20, 2026, the most active credits by protocol are:

• Wind-powered Electricity Generation, with 6,507,617 credits.
• Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions from Pneumatic Devices (methane reductions from oil and gas), with 6,320,095 credits.
• Enhanced Oil Recovery (utilization and storage of captured CO₂ for oil recovery), with 5,179,269 credits.
• CO₂ Capture and Permanent Storage in Deep Saline Aquifers, with 4,330,134 credits.
• Solar Electricity Generation, with 1,704,920 credits.
• Vent gas reduction, with 1,184,408 credits.
• Energy Generation from the Combustion of Biomass Waste, with 747,152 credits.
• Landfill Gas Capture and Combustion, with 347,583 credits.
• Energy Efficiency Projects, with 209,236 credits. 

Investments in technology and energy efficiency measures to reduce emissions varies by site. Alberta has seen adoption of:

• co-generation of electricity and steam
• off coal and natural gas generation uptake
• renewable energy
• methane mitigation, all at current and emergent price points

The province anticipates continued growth of carbon capture, utilization and storage, solvents for extraction, and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage.

Additional resources

• Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction System
• Alberta Emission Offset System

Carbon capture, utilization and storage

Alberta has a proven track record of supporting carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), with approximately 17 million tonnes of CO₂ safely sequestered since 2004.

From the Alberta Emission Offset Registry as of April 2026, Alberta projects have sequestered and permanently stored more than 17 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions through carbon capture and storage and enhanced oil recovery projects.

Alberta has invested more than $1.2 billion in the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line (ACTL) and Quest projects. Together, these projects have captured and stored more than 14.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. This capture estimate is calculated from the Alberta Emission Offset Registry.

• In total, Alberta has approximately $1.9 billion invested or committed to CCUS projects and programs since 2009 and will continue this leadership.
• Alberta is home to the Alberta Carbon Conversion Technology Centre, a piloting test centre to de-risk CCUS technologies.
• In 2023, Alberta provided TIER funds to the International CCS Knowledge Centre to form a new knowledge exchange platform to provide timely and efficient open access curation of lessons learned on CCS projects, proactively share best practices from developers from project inception through operation, and support better understanding of CCS.
• In 2024, the province introduced the Alberta Carbon Capture Incentive Program to provide an anticipated $3.2 and $5.3 billion in support over the next decade to help major industries incorporate CCUS into their operations by providing grant funding for new eligible capital project costs.

This total is updated after emission reductions are quantified, third party verified and added to the registry. Project proponents may report different numbers according to private calculations, but the province relies on totals that are accurately reported to the official registry.

Additional resources

• Alberta Emission Offset Registry
• Alberta Carbon Conversion Centre
• International CCS Knowledge Centre
• Emissions Reduction Alberta
• Alberta Carbon Capture Incentive Program

Additional resources

• Emissions Reduction and Energy Development Plan