Air

Greenhouse gases

• greenhouse gas offsets
  Many power companies have adopted greenhouse gas offsets — actions they can take outside their operations to reduce or remove greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere — as part of their climate change action plans. Examples of offsets are investments in energy efficiency improvements and projects to capture or dispose of emissions. In Western Canada, industry and researchers are exploring the possibility of capturing carbon dioxide emitted by coal-fueled plants and using it or storing it in geological formations.
  
  
• performance reporting
  Performance reporting helps industry to identify new opportunities to continually improve their environmental performance. Many Canadian power companies produce public environmental reports that document their environmental commitments and their progress to address environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions.
  
  As members of the Canadian Electricity Association, electric utilities are required to report annually on their greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts as part of the association’s Environmental Commitment and Responsibility (ECR) Program.
  
  Many Canadian power companies also participate in Canada’s Voluntary Challenge and Registry (VCR) Program. The VCR is a private-public partnership that encourages public and private sector organizations to voluntarily reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and report yearly on their progress.