Canada’s climate action matters on a global scale because…

• Although our total emissions may seem low, our per person emissions are among the worst in the world. While countries like China have more total emissions, Canada's per person emissions are twice as high as China's.

• If every country with less than two per cent of global emissions did nothing, the biggest chunk of emissions would remain unaddressed. Only six countries have emissions that account for more than 2% of the global total. Every country that emits less than 2% makes up 36% of emissions collectively.

• Wealthy countries such as Canada that have emitted the most historically have the best means to reduce emissions and therefore the moral responsibility to do so. Climate change is driven by the cumulative, not annual, amount of greenhouse gas emissions. So, the historical context of which countries have emitted the most over time matters. Canada is ranked 10th in the world for total cumulative emissions.

• The fossil fuels we export don’t count toward our national emissions. Canada exports most of its crude oil and just under half of its natural gas. The burning of these fossil fuels is 1.3x more than the total greenhouse gases emitted at home. When you take this into account, it becomes clear that Canada's energy sector, energy policies, and climate ambition are significant on the global stage.

• Canada is sitting on the 3rd largest oil and gas reserves in the world, representing 10% of all global deposits. Leaving our massive, environmentally destructive, oil and gas deposits in the ground would go a long way to preventing further climate chaos.