This report reviews emissions from Canada’s export of fossil fuels, and finds finds that greenhouse gas emissions embodied in Canadian exports of fossil fuels in 2009 were greater than the emissions from all fossil fuel combustion within Canada — and were almost four times the emissions from extracting and processing fossil fuels in Canada. The study also argues that if Canada is serious about mitigating the effects of climate change, both domestically and internationally, it needs to not only reduce domestic consumption of fossil fuels, but also to stop peddling fossil fuels in export markets.
About the authors
Marc Lee is a Senior Economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Marc joined the CCPA’s British Columbia office in 1998, and is one of Canada’s leading progressive commentators on economic and environmental policy issues. From 2009 to 2015, Marc led the CCPA’s Climate Justice Project (CJP), which published a wide range of research on fair and effective approaches to climate action through integrating principles of social justice. Marc continues to write about climate and energy policy, strategies for affordable housing, federal and provincial budgets and macroeconomics. Marc has an MA in Economics from Simon Fraser University and a BA in Economics from the University of Western Ontario. Marc is a past chair of the Progressive Economics Forum, a national network of heterodox economists. He also served as a Visiting Professor at Simon Fraser University’s School of Public Policy in 2024 to 2025.
