Extracted carbon and Canada’s international trade in fossil fuels

Abstract This study re-examines Canada’s contribution to global climate change by looking at the extracted carbon—the total amount of fossil fuels removed from Canadian soil that ends up in the atmosphere—whether used for domestic purposes or combusted elsewhere. The paper estimates a supply-side carbon budget for extracted carbon based on Canada’s share of global fossil-fuel reserves. Finally, the paper considers the incremental emissions potential of proposed new bitumen pipelines and liquefied natural gas facilities.