Climate change and transportation

Overview

The transportation sector contributes approximately 12% of Alberta’s annual greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), making it the third largest contributor after oil and gas and electricity.

National and Provincial/Territorial Greenhouse Gas Emission Tables show that in the transportation sector, nearly 90% of all Alberta GHG emissions come from the movement of freight (heavy-duty trucks and rail) and people (cars, trucks and motorcycles).

Personal transportation

Using their personal vehicles is the primary way Albertans travel, including within our major cities and between rural and urban centres:

• 79% of all vehicles registered in Alberta were gasoline-burning engines
• diesel comes in second at 11%, with diesel sales seeing a downward trend in recent years
• alternative fuel types make up less than 1% of total registered vehicles

Passenger vehicles by fuel type in Alberta

The data provided in this table is derived from the MOVES Vehicle Research File, and cannot be directly compared with data in tables sourced from the Alberta Vehicle Geographical Reports due to both datasets not being compiled simultaneously.

In 2018, more than 80% of new vehicle sales in Alberta were for:

• trucks
• minivans
• SUVs
• vans
• buses

Find the most recent data on:

• vehicle sales on Alberta’s economic dashboard
• a comparison of your vehicle’s fuel efficiency to other models on the market by reading the 2018 Fuel Consumption Guide (PDF, 2.9 MB)

Alternative fuel opportunities in Alberta

A number of alternatives to gasoline and diesel are currently available, including:

• battery electric
• hydrogen fuel cells
• compressed natural gas
• ethanol (E85)
• liquefied natural gas
• biodiesels
• propane

Battery electric vehicles (EVs) make up only 0.018% of total registered vehicles and 0.24% of 2018 new vehicle sales in Alberta, however, the province has seen a 70% growth in EV registrations since 2017.

Freight transportation

As Alberta’s population continues to grow, so does the demand for goods delivered by freight transportation, or commercial trucks. Alberta has nearly 27% of the registered trucks (>4,500 kg) in Canada, and has seen a 5% increase in registrations between 2013 and 2017.

Even though commercial vehicles make up only 16% of all vehicles registered in Alberta, heavy duty freight trucks release about 57% of all transportation-related emissions.

The federal government offers a number of resources for commercial transportation carriers to reduce their fleets’ fuel consumption, including:

• SmartWay Transport Partnership
• FleetSmart
• Green Freight Assessment Program

Impacts on transportation

The Climate Atlas of Canada provides information about climate change impacts in Alberta and across Canada.

Climate change is already affecting our transportation system:

• an expected 20% increase in the frequency of freezing rain, and a general increase of wet snow and winter rain, can increase the risk of road traffic disruptions and traffic accidents
• an increase in freeze and thaw cycles can damage transportation infrastructure, such as bridges and overpasses, and soften and distort road pavement
• higher precipitation levels, warmer temperatures and extreme weather events increase the risk of overwhelming storm management facilities, which can result in:
  • landslides
  • road washouts
  • blocked roads due fallen trees or power lines
• during warmer, drier periods, the risk of wildfires caused by lightning strikes will increase, which could increase demand on or compromise access to roads

Read the Climate Change Risk Assessment and Adaptation Report (PDF, 625 KB) for more information.

GMC Task Group

The Greening Maintenance and Construction Task Group was formed in response to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.

Contact

For information on climate change and transportation in Alberta:

Hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Phone: 780-638-9413
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)

Address:
Public Transportation and Climate Leadership
3rd Floor, Twin Atria Building
4999 98 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta  T6B 2X3