Regional Emissions
Toronto
With a population of almost 2.8 million, the City of Toronto is Canada’s largest city.
Total 2022 carbon emissions 14.8 MtCO2eq
% of GTHA carbon emissions 27%
Population (2022) 2,860,329
% of GTHA population 39%
Land Area 630 km2

2022 Insights

  • Emissions increased by 8%, approaching pre-pandemic 2019 levels. The buildings sector was the biggest driver for this increase (up 8%).
  • Per capita emissions increased by 5% to 5.2 tonnes CO2eq/person.
  • Building emissions were impacted by an increase in natural gas consumption in the commercial sector (up 11%) and residential sector (up 5%), as well as an increase in the carbon intensity of the provincial electricity grid (up nearly 25%). Electricity consumption also increased by 2%.
  • Cycling decreased marginally (1%) while walking increased significantly (18%), the highest increase in the GTHA.
  • Toronto saw a large rise in electric vehicle purchases in 2022: 14,283 EVs (up 70%) and 5,086 PHEVs (up 34%).
  • Scope 3 aviation emissions increased to 47,136 tCO2eq, a significant jump from 228 tCO2eq in 2021. Notably, Billy Bishop Airport was closed for much of 2021 due to the pandemic, with commercial air travel resuming only in September 2021. Like Pearson, Billy Bishop is a hub serving passengers from the entire region so its emissions are not solely attributable to City of Toronto.

Innovation in Toronto

  • City of Toronto passed the vehicle-for-hire net zero strategy by 2030, which includes developing a charging plan and incentivizing EV adoption, including remitting grant funding to drivers.
  • City of Toronto released their consumption-based inventory, the first of its kind in the GTHA.
  • City of Toronto accelerated their timeline to design and implement a Building Performance Standard for existing buildings
  • A partnership between Toronto Hydro, Power Advisory, and TMU to undertake a local Demand Response (LDR) pilot contracted for 9 MW for the 2023/2024 summers.
Toronto Region Total Emissions, 2017-2022 (MtCO2eq)
Toronto Region Per Capita Emissions, 2017-2022
Toronto Region 2022 Emissions by Sector

Policy

Policy makers start here

Recommendations and policy adoption tracker for high impact policies
All Policy Recommendations
Priorities for all levels of government and corporations
Done
Exists at Local Level
In Progress
Not Initiated
Region
Mandatory Green Development Standards
Existing Building Performance Standards
Electric Vehicle Strategy
Building Retrofit Programs
Toronto