2023 GTHA Carbon Emissions Inventory

Emissions by Region:

All Durham Halton Hamilton Peel Toronto York

2023 Regional Insights

Hamilton Region Total Emissions, 2018-2023

Total emissions increased by 2.9% approaching 2019 levels. The transportation sector (up 7%) was the biggest driver of this increase.

Hamilton Region Per Capita Emissions, 2018-2023

Per capita emissions increased by 1%, reaching 15.7 tCO₂eq/person
Excluding Hamilton's sizeable industrial sector, which services the rest of the GTHA and beyond, per capita emissions were 8.7 tCO₂eq/person in 2023, a 1% increase from 2022.

Hamilton Region 2023 Emissions by Sector

Hamilton’s industrial emissions are the largest source of emissions in the region and have been projected to increase by 2.8% for 2023, based on steel manufacturing job growth. According to facility reported data that was recently published, industrial emissions in 2022 decreased by 1%, largely due to emissions reported from Stelco Hamilton Works’ steel fabrication plant.
The building sector is the second largest source of emissions in Hamilton and represents a third of total emissions. Total building emissions increased by 1%, with electricity emissions going up by 27% and natural gas emissions decreasing slightly by 1.4%.
Natural gas consumption in Hamilton decreased by 8.2% in the residential sector and 2.6% in the commercial sector but increased by 2.4% in the industrial sector. Hamilton had the highest per capita weather normalized gas emissions (4.7 tCO₂eq/person) across the GTHA.
Although electricity consumption decreased by 2.4% (this was the largest decrease across the GTHA), the total increase of electricity emissions was driven by the increase in carbon intensity of the provincial grid.
Transportation emissions increased 7%, the highest increase across the GTHA.
Total distance travelled by cyclists decreased by 4%, while the number of trips increased by 5% indicating shorter and more frequent trips. Walking distance showed a slight downward trend (<1%), but the total number of trips increased by 5%.
Hamilton saw a moderate rise in electric vehicle registrations compared to 2022, 4,033 EVs (up 39%) and 1,824 PHEVs (up 19%).
Scope 3 aviation emissions at John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport are not included in this inventory due to a lack of available fuel use data. Other sources have reported these emissions based on different methodologies and data sources than what is used in this inventory. It is important to note that Hamilton Airport’s aviation emissions should not be solely attributed to the Hamilton region as the airport serves passengers from across the GTHA and beyond.

Innovation in Hamilton

In 2024, Hamilton City Council adopted green development standards for new construction. Hamilton’s standard stands out by requiring embodied carbon reporting and mandating EV-ready infrastructure in all new builds.

Policy Tracker

Policies being adopted in real time

Done

Exists at Local Level

In Progress

Not Initiated

	Mandatory Green Development Standards	Existing Building Performance Standards	Electric Vehicle Strategy	Building Retrofit Programs
Hamilton