Greenhouse Gases

Scientists identify six main Greenhouse Gases:

Carbon Dioxide – CO₂
Methane – CH₄
Nitrous Oxide – N₂O
Sulphur Hexafluoride – SF₆
Perfluorocarbons – PFC’s
Hydroflourocarbons – HFC’s

Carbon Dioxide, Methane and Nitrous Oxide are the most prevalent, and CO₂ represents about 80% of the total GHG in Canada. Energy production and consumption contributes about 82% of Canada’s total GHG emissions. Increases in population, economic activity (resource based), oil and gas production all contribute to rising emissions in the Canadian environment.

Canada produces approximately 2.0% of the global GHG emissions, while Canadians make up only 0.5% of the global population. Moving people and goods accounted for 19% of Canada’s total GHG emissions (in 2004).

Using propane as a transportation fuel reduces GHG emissions. On a well to wheels basis propane relative can reduce GHG emissions by up to 25% relative to gasoline. GHG reductions vary by vehicle and engine.

A recent study by the Propane Education and Research Council shows GHG emissions profiles for selected commercial vehicle applications from pickup trucks and vans to school buses. The study Propane Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions: A Comparative Analysis - 2009 provides details on GHG emissions for various vehicles and applications.

Transport Canada provides a GHG calculator for personal and commercial vehicles. The program calculates GHG emissions reductions for various scenarios and vehicle fleets. The site can be accessed at http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Prog/2/UTEC-CETU/Calculator.aspx?lang=eng

By operating a high consumption vehicle on propane GHG emissions can be reduced by about 4.0 tonnes annually, compared to running that vehicle on gasoline.

Consider the tonnes of GHG emissions that could be reduced each year based on the following number of vehicles converted to propane:

60,000 vehicles = 240,000 tonnes
80,000 vehicles = 320,000 tonnes
100,000 vehicles = 400,000 tonnes