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ENERGY
USE:
Energy Consumption
Consuming
energy causes
a wide range
of health and
environmental
impacts, from
the habitat loss
associated with
exploration for
fossil fuels
and the construction
of hydroelectric
 facilities
to the pollution
resulting from
the burning of
fossil fuels.
Environmental
impacts are caused
by the actions
required to produce
energy, including
oil and gas exploration
and development,
coal mining,
and the construction
of nuclear reactors,
hydroelectric
dams and reservoirs.
Environmental
impacts also
include the pollution
generated by
burning oil,
gas and coal
or disposing
of nuclear waste
and the impacts
of dams on aquatic
ecosystems.
Fossil
fuel combustion
is the main source
of three major
air pollution
problems –
climate change,
acid deposition
and urban smog.
According to
Environment Canada,
energy use produces
90% of Canada’s
carbon dioxide
emissions, 55%
of sulphur dioxide
emissions, 90%
of nitrogen oxide
emissions and
55% of volatile
organic compound
emissions.
Hydroelectric
projects flood
large tracts
of land, have
major impacts
on river systems
and cause the
release of both
methane (a greenhouse
gas) and mercury
(a toxic heavy
metal). Nuclear
power facilities
require uranium
mining and produce
nuclear waste
for which no
safe disposal
system currently
exists.
Canada’s
OECD Ranking
Canada ranks
an embarrassing
27th out of 29
OECD nations
in terms of energy
use per capita.
Canadians annually
consume 6.19
tonnes of oil
equivalent per
capita. This
is almost double
the OECD average
of 3.18 tonnes
of oil equivalent
per capita, and
more than five
times the world
average. Only
residents of
Iceland and Luxembourg
use more energy
per capita than
Canadians.
In
1997, in total,
Canada used 187.5
million tonnes
of oil equivalent.
Canada ranks
26th out of 29
OECD nations
for total energy
use, with only
the United States,
Germany and Japan
using more energy.
Trend
Between 1980
and 1997, total
Canadian energy
consumption grew
by 20.3%, slightly
higher than the
average OECD
increase of 18%.
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