Toronto’s Sector-Based Emissions Inventory (SBEI) tracks Toronto’s progress towards its greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets. The SBEI identifies direct and indirect GHG emissions from three key sectors: buildings, transportation and waste. The GHG emissions data included in the tabs below provide an overview of the community-wide GHG emissions and highlight sectors, fuel types and scope, along with emissions generated only by local government activities (such as the City of Toronto corporation) called corporate emissions.

In 2022, Toronto’s community-wide GHG emissions were 15.5 megatonnes (MT) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2 e), a five per cent increase over the 14.8 MT CO2 e emitted in 2021. Emissions were 36 per cent less than 1990 levels. The sources that contribute the largest percentage of emissions in Toronto were fossil (natural) gas heating in residential buildings (29 per cent of Toronto’s community-wide emissions) and gasoline combustion in passenger vehicles (23 per cent of emissions).

As per the TransformTO Net Zero by 2040, Toronto’s future sector-based GHG reduction targets from 1990 levels are: 45 per cent by 2025, 65 per cent by 2030 and net zero by 2040. The 2022 inventory results show a slight increase in emissions community-wide and the current pace of emissions reductions is unlikely to meet the City’s 2025 emissions target. To achieve these interim targets and ultimately reach net zero by 2040, stronger and more expansive GHG reduction programs, alongside coordinated action, will be essential.

The data in the SBEI and listed below will be updated annually. See details and full report.


This section contains the year over year progress of emissions of buildings, transportation, and waste, from 1990 to 2022.

Overall, community-wide emissions have been decreasing since 1990. In 2022, emissions were 36 per cent lower compared to 1990. However, in the same year, emissions increased by five per cent compared to 2021 levels. The 2022 inventory results indicate that the current pace of emissions reductions is unlikely to meet the City’s 2025 emissions target.

 

This visual shows a breakdown of the community-wide GHG emissions by sector (Buildings, Transportation and Waste) in percentages in 2022 in a pie chart.

 

GHG emissions by sector (2022)

 

Sector
GHG Emissions (megatonnes CO₂e)
Percentage of Total
Buildings 8.7 56%
Transportation 5.4 35%
Waste 1.4 9%


This visual shows the year over year community-wide GHG emission from 1990 to 2022 for the three sectors Buildings, Transportation and Waste in a bar chart.


This visual shows the annual community-wide sector-based GHG emissions from 1990 to 2022 in a line chart.


The section includes information on the fuel types reported in the SBEI, including natural gas and gasoline.

Natural gas consumption to heat buildings continued to be the largest source of community-wide GHG emissions in 2022 at approximately 7.9 MT, accounting for about 51 per cent of all emissions. This was six per cent more than 2021. The increase was due to a slightly cooler winter, resulting in more gas use for heating and more emissions. Natural gas usage in residential buildings was the largest single source of emissions, accounting for 29 per cent of community-wide emissions.

In 2022, gasoline used for passenger cars and trucks accounted for 23 per cent of community-wide GHG emissions in Toronto. It is the second largest source of emissions source at approximately 3.6 MT. This is a slight increase from 2021.

 

 

This visual shows a breakdown of the community-wide GHG emissions by key fuel types in percentages in 2022 in a pie chart.

Note: The following fuel types are not represented in the chart above because they represent less than one per cent of the community-wide GHG emissions: Combined Organics and Yard Waste Gases, Wastewater Treatment Gases, B20-BioDiesel, B10-BioDiesel, Aviation Fuels, Marine Fuels, B05 BIODIESEL, Propane, and CNG.


 

This visual shows the community-wide GHG emissions in descending order by fuel type for 2022 in a bar chart.

Note: The following fuel types were combined into “Others”: Electricity (Subways and Streetcars), Diesel, Transit Bus B20, Transit Bus B10, Electricity Transmission Loss, Marine Diesel, Jet Fuel, Aviation Gas, Marine Gasoline, Transit Bus kWh, Marine E10, Gasoline, Marine B05, Marine B10, Off Road B05, Propane, CNG, Off Road B10, and Off Road B20. Refer to the table below for their exact emissions.


Community-wide GHG emissions by fuel type and sector (2022)

 

Sector
Fuel Category
Fuel Type
GHG Emissions (tonnes CO₂e)
Percentage of Total
Buildings Electricity Electricity 792,785 5.11%
Electricity Transmission Loss 2,514 0.02%
Natural Gas Natural Gas 7,836,750 50.48%
Natural Gas Fugitive 73,018 0.47%
Renewable Natural Gas 1 0.00%
Chilled Water Chilled Water 211 0.00%
Steam Steam 9,970 0.06%
Transportation Aviation Fuels Aviation Gas 198 0.00%
Jet Fuel 74,286 0.48%
Marine Fuels Marine B05 0 0.00%
Marine B10 0 0.00%
Marine Diesel 1,026 0.01%
Marine Gasoline 131 0.00%
Marine E10 0 0.00%
Off Road CNG 7 0.00%
Diesel 6,971 0.04%
Gasoline 488 0.00%
Off Road B05 0 0.00%
Off Road B10 0 0.00%
Off Road B20 0 0.00%
Propane 0 0.00%
On Road Diesel 1,110,493 7.15%
Gasoline 3,986,246 25.68%
Transit Bus B05 179,029 1.15%
Transit Bus B10 5,022 0.03%
Transit Bus B20 6,742 0.04%
Transit Bus kWh 78 0.00%
Rail Fuel Diesel 60,791 0.39%
Electricity (Subways and Streetcars) 12,816 0.08%
Waste Combined Organics and Yard Waste Gases Combined Organics and Yard Waste Gases 21,911 0.14%
Landfill Gases Landfill Gases 1,170,376 7.54%
Wastewater Treatment Gases Wastewater Treatment Gases 173,141 1.12%

This visual shows all the fuel types, their GHG emissions, and their percentage relative to the total community-wide GHG emission in 2022, grouped by sector, in a table.


This section details the sub-sector emissions of buildings, transportation and waste in 2022.

Community sector-based emissions have been declining since 1990 and in 2022. Toronto’s emissions were 36 per cent lower than in 1990. This an increase in five per cent from 2021 which was 41 per cent lower than 1990 levels. Additionally, while there is an overall downward trend in emissions in the sectors, it is clear that the current pace of emissions reductions is unlikely to meet the City’s 2025 emissions target.

Percentage breakdown of community-wide GHG emissions by the three sectors (2022)

 

This visual shows a breakdown of the community-wide GHG emissions in 2022 by sub-sector details within the three sectors (Buildings, Transportation and Waste) in percentages as pie charts.

Note: The following sub-sector details are not represented in the chart above because they represent less than one per cent of the community-wide transportation GHG emissions: Waste Trucks Private Landfill, Off Road Vehicles and Equipment, Waste Trucks City Owned Landfill, TTC Transit Buses (B20-BioDiesel) (Commercial Heavy Trucks BioDiesel) Litres, TTC Transit Buses (B10-BioDiesel) (Commercial Heavy Trucks BioDiesel) Litres, Marine, and Aviation.


 

This visual shows the community-wide GHG emissions in descending order by sub-sector details for 2022 in a bar chart.

Note: The following sub-sector details were combined into “Others”: Aviation – Billy Bishop Airport, Rail – GO Train, Waste – Organics and Yard Waste Processing Facilities, Rail – TTC Subways and Streetcars, Waste – Waste Trucks Private, Off Road – City Owned Vehicles and Equipment, On Road – TTC Buses B10, B20 and Electric, Rail – UP Express, Waste – Waste Trucks to Landfill, Marine – City Owned Marine Fleet. Refer to the table below for their exact emissions.


Community-wide GHG emission and percentage breakdown by sub-sector details (2022)

 

Sector
Sub-Sector
Details
GHG Emissions (tonnes CO₂e)
Percentage of Total
Buildings Commercial and Institutional Commercial 3,091,670 19.91%
Industrial Industrial 939,291 6.05%
Residential Residential 4,684,288 30.17%
Transportation Aviation Billy Bishop Airport 74,483 0.48%
Commercial Light Vehicles Commercial Light Trucks 472,898 3.05%
Commercial Vans and Pickups 370,932 2.39%
Heavy Vehicles Commercial Heavy Trucks 624,040 4.02%
Marine City Owned Marine Fleet (Police, Fire Boats, and Ferries) 1,157 0.01%
Off Road Vehicles and Equipment Off Road Vehicles and Equipment 7,459 0.05%
Passenger Vehicles Passenger cars and trucks (gas proportions 50-50%)+motorcycles 3,617,292 23.30%
Rail Toronto Go Train 54,302 0.35%
TTC Subway and Streetcars 12,816 0.35%
UP Express 6,489 0.04%
Transit Buses Transit Bus B05 177,058 1.14%
Transit Bus B10 5,022 0.03%
Transit Bus B20 6,742 0.04%
Transit Bus kWh 78 0.00%
Waste Trucks City Owned Landfill Waste Trucks 5,422 0.03%
Waste Trucks Private Landfill Waste Trucks Private 8,134 0.05%
Waste Landfill City Owned Combined Organics and Yard Waste Gases 1,017,548 6.55%
Landfill Private Estimated Landfill Private Estimated 152,828 0.98%
Organics and Yard Waste Processing Facilities Organics and Yard Waste Processing Facilities 21,911 0.14%
Wastewater Treatment Plants Wastewater Treatment Plants 173,141 1.12%

This visual shows all the sub-sector details, their GHG emissions, and their percentage relative to the total community-wide GHG emission in 2022, grouped by sector, in a table.


This section reports 2022 emissions by scope. Activities taking place within a city can generate GHG emissions that occur inside the city boundary as well as outside the city boundary. To distinguish between them they are grouped into three categories based on where they occur: scope 1, scope 2 or scope 3 emissions. We have included two visuals below.

For further information about GHG emissions by scope, please refer to the GPC Protocol.

 

This visual shows a breakdown of the community-wide GHG emissions by Scope 1, 2, and 3 in percentages in 2022 in a pie chart.


 


Description about Scope 1

GHG emissions from sources located within the city boundary.

Description about Scope 2

GHG emissions occurring as a consequence of the use of grid-supplied electricity, heat,
steam and/or cooling within the city boundary.

Description about Scope 3

All other GHG emissions that occur outside the city boundary as a result of activities taking place within the city boundary.

Percentage breakdown of community-wide GHG emissions by the three scopes (2022)

 

This visual shows a breakdown of the community-wide GHG emissions in 2022 by sub-sector within the three scopes in percentages as pie charts.

Note: The following sub-sectors represent less than one per cent of the community-wide Scope 1 GHG emissions: Marine, Off Road Vehicles and Equipment, Rail, TTC Buses, Organics and Yard Waste Processing Facilities.


 

This section details the 2022 sector-based emissions broken down by sector, sub-sector and scope.

In 2022, building sector emissions were 8.7 MT representing 56 per cent of overall community-wide emissions, with most of those emissions attributable to fossil (natural) gas used for space and water heating. Transportation emissions accounted for 35 per cent of overall community-wide emissions, with most of those emissions coming from gasoline used in passenger cars and trucks. Waste sector emissions, which include emissions from landfills, organics and yard waste processing, and wastewater treatment processes, were nine per cent of overall community-wide emissions.

 

Community-wide GHG emissions by sub-sector and scope (2022)

 

Sector
Sub-Sector
GHG Emissions in 2022 (tonnes CO₂e)
Percentage
Scope 1
Scope 2
Scope 3
Total
Buildings Commercial and Institutional 2,525,393 564,381 1,895 3,091,669 19.91%
Industrial 870,229 69,011 51 939,291 6.05%
Residential 4,514,147 169,574 568 4,684,289 30.17%
Transportation Aviation 74,483 74,483 0.48%
Marine 1,157 1,157 0.01%
Off Road Vehicles and Equipment 4,405 3,054 7,459 0.05%
On Road 5,085,161 5,085,161 32.75%
Rail 60,791 12,816 73,607 0.47%
Transit Bus B05 177,058 177,058 1.14%
Transit Bus B10 5,022 5,022 0.03%
Transit Bus B20 6,742 6,742 0.04%
Transit Bus kWh 78 78 0.00%
Waste Trucks 5,422 5,422 0.03%
Waste Trucks Private 8,134 8,134 0.05%
Waste Landfill City Owned 169,398 848,150 1,017,548 6.55%
Landfill Private Estimated 152,828 152,828 0.98%
Organics and Yard Waste Processing Facilities 2,355 19,556 21,911 0.14%
Wastewater Treatment Plants 173,141 173,141 1.12%
Grand Total 13,669,482 815,860 1,039,658 15,525,000 100%

This visual shows all the sub-sectors, scopes, their GHG emissions, and their percentage relative to the total community-wide GHG emission in 2022, grouped by sector, in a table.


This section focuses only on the City’s corporate emissions, which are captured as part of the community-wide Sector-Based Emissions Inventory, but are also displayed separately. The City of Toronto’s corporate (or local government) emissions are calculated based on the energy used in all municipal buildings (such as offices, community recreation centres, Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) housing), vehicle fleets including Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) transit vehicles, waste, water supply and wastewater treatment, as well as streetlights.

In 2022, corporate emissions were 0.83 MT, which was about five per cent of Toronto’s community-wide emissions. The City’s corporate emissions increased by four per cent from 2021 but remained a stable share of community-wide emissions between 2021 and 2022. The largest source of corporate emissions was buildings, which contributed 37 per cent, followed by transportation at 32 per cent, water and wastewater at 27 per cent and waste emissions at 4 per cent.

 

This visual shows a breakdown of the corporate GHG emissions by sector in percentages in 2022 in a pie chart.

Note: The following sector are not represented in the chart above because they represent less than one per cent of corporate GHG emissions: Streetlights and Traffic Signals.


 

GHG emissions by sector (2022)

 

Sector
GHG Emissions (tonnes CO₂e)
Percentage of Total
Buildings 307,702 37%
Transportation 263,483 32%
Waste 29,555 4%
Water and Wastewater 227,002 27%
Streetlights and Traffic Signals 4,111 0.0%
Grand Total 831,853 100.0%


This visual shows the year-over-year corporate GHG emission from 2008 to 2022 for each sector in a bar chart.


 

This visual shows the corporate GHG emissions in descending order by sub-sectors for 2022 in a bar chart.

Note: The following sub-sectors were combined into “Streetlights and Traffic Signals”: Streetlights, Signal Lights, and Bike Path Lighting. Refer to the table below for their exact emissions.


Corporate GHG emissions and percentage breakdown by sub-sectors (2022)

 

Sector
Sub-Sector
GHG Emissions (kilotonnes CO₂e)
Percentage of Total
Buildings Social Housing 165.60 19.90%
Office, Public Use and Yards 142.10 17.07%
Streetlights and Traffic Signals Streetlights 4.06 0.49%
Signal Lights 0.47 0.06%
Bike Path Lighting 0.002 0.00%
Transportation Marine 1.16 0.14%
Off Road 4.40 0.53%
On Road 50.78 6.10%
TTC Buses 188.90 22.70%
TTC Subway and Streetcar 12.82 1.54%
Waste Trucks to Landfill 5.42 0.65%
Waste Scope 3 Landfill 7.64 0.92%
Organics and Yard Waste 21.91 2.63%
Water and Wastewater Wastewater Generated and Treated 173.14 20.80%
Office, Public Use and Yards 53.86 6.47%

This visual shows all the sub-sectors, their GHG emissions, and their percentage relative to the total corporate GHG emission in 2022, grouped by sector, in a table.


This visual shows the annual corporate GHG emissions from 2008 to 2022 in a line chart.


  • CO2 e (Carbon dioxide equivalent): A unit that allows emissions of different greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) to be expressed as a single unit of measurement.
  • Community-Wide Emissions: Community-wide emissions include all GHG emissions within Toronto’s geographical boundary that can currently be estimated or measured by the City of Toronto.
  • Corporate-Wide Emissions: Corporate-wide emissions account for emissions generated only by local government activities. Corporate emissions are included in community-wide emissions.
  • Global Protocol for Community-Scale GHG Emissions Inventory (GPC): Toronto’s community-wide emissions are calculated and reported as per guidance in the GPC, a robust, transparent, and globally accepted framework to consistently identify, calculate, and report on community-wide greenhouse gas emissions to support climate action planning. Use of the GPC is required to uphold Toronto’s commitment as a signatory of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. (Adapted from Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Inventories, version 1.1 and the Toronto’s 2021 Sector-based Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory)
  • Global warming potential (GWP): GWP measures how much a particular GHG contributes to global warming relative to carbon dioxide (CO2), which has a GWP of 1. GWP is used to convert tonnes of GHGs, like methane, to tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2 e) to express total emissions using a common unit. For details see Appendix C.1 Global Warming Potential (GWP) in 2021 Sector-based Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory)
  • Greenhouse gases (GHGs): Compound gases that trap heat and emit longwave radiation in the atmosphere causing global warming, also called the greenhouse effect. The three GHGs measured in Toronto are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O).
  • Scope 1: GHG emissions from sources located within the city boundary (Adapted from Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Inventories, version 1.1)
  • Scope 2: GHG emissions occurring as a consequence of the use of grid-supplied electricity, heat, steam and/or cooling within the city boundary (Adapted from Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Inventories, version 1.1)
  • Scope 3: All other GHG emissions that occur outside the city boundary as a result of activities taking place within the city boundary. (Adapted from Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Inventories, version 1.1)
  • Sector: In the context of production-based emissions inventories, a sector is a classification for which emissions are reported. Sectors include: buildings; transportation; waste; industrial processes and product use (IPPU); agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU); other emissions occurring outside the geographic boundary of the inventory area as a result of activities within the inventory area. Sectors are categorized by scope. (Adapted from Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Inventories, version 1.1)
  • Buildings: Energy use of buildings is used to calculate the emissions produced from the consumption of natural gas and electricity. These emissions come from the combustion of fuel to heat spaces in residential, commercial and institutional buildings and facilities and manufacturing industries and construction.
  • Transportation: Transportation emissions represent emissions from on-road passenger vehicles, vehicles, for hire, commercial and heavy trucks, and buses as well as from commuter rail and some marine and aviation navigation. Freight rail emissions are not accounted for in this inventory, as reliable data for these emissions sources is currently not available. Identifying emissions sources from all transportation modes continues to be a methodological challenge. Due to the number of different authorities and private businesses that may contribute to transportation emissions, as well as the varying levels of voluntary, sometimes proprietary versus regulated reporting, this section of the inventory presents the best data available at the time of collection.
    • Toronto Emission Sources:
      • All On Road Vehicles
      • Waste Hauling to Landfills outside of City Boundary
      • Go Trains (within Toronto’s boarders)
      • UP Express
      • TTC Subways and Streetcars
      • City Owned Ferries and Marine Fleet
      • Aviation fuel used at Billy Bishop Airport
      • City Owned Off Road and Construction Vehicles and Equipment
  • Waste: Waste emissions (primarily methane but also nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide) originating in landfills constitute most Toronto’s waste emissions. In addition, there is a small portion of emissions from organics and yard waste processing, and wastewater treatment processes. Emissions from privately managed waste are estimated.
    • Toronto Emission Sources:
      • Beare Rd, Brock West, Green Lane, Keele Valley, and Thackeray Landfills
      • Disco and Dufferin Organics Process Facilities
      • Ashbridges Bay, Highland Creek, Humber Bay, and North Toronto Wastewater Treatment Plants