A new provincial report cites oil and natural gas as the driving force behind an increase in industrial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in B.C.

Industrial air pollution increased 2.1 percent from 20 million tonnes in 2013 to 20.3 million tonnes in 2014, according to the report.

Including GHG emissions from electricity imports, the increase was 5.7 percent, to 22.4 million tonnes.

The increase in industrial emissions was not observed across the board.

The mining and smelting sector, for example, saw an 8.4-percent reduction in GHG emissions, and waste treatment pollution was reduced by 6.8 percent.

Meanwhile, GHG emissions from oil and gas operations in B.C. increased six percent, to 11.3 million tonnes in 2014.

Though accounting for a much smaller amount of total industrial emissions, the most significant increase came from electricity imports. They were up 60 percent, to 2.2 million tonnes. (While the overwhelming majority of electricity generated in B.C. is from hydropower, the same isn't true in other jurisdictions that rely more heavily on coal and natural gas.)

Industrial emissions account for 31 percent of the province’s total air pollution, according to the report.

It adds that since the introduction of B.C.'s carbon tax in 2008, per capita fuel consumption has decreased by 16 percent.

The provincial government is currently drafting a new climate leadership plan. That document, which entered a second round of public consultation last December, will outline how B.C. intends to reduce carbon emissions to 33 percent below 2007 levels by 2020 and 80 percent below 2007 levels by 2050.

Ahead of last November’s United Nations conference on climate change in Paris, B.C. environmentalists criticized Premier Christy Clark’s leadership on the environment. They suggested there is a disconnect between the province’s green image and Clark’s enthusiasm for liquefied natural gas.

In 2014, the Straight reported on government documents released in response to a freedom-of-information request that warned the expansion of B.C.’s LNG sector would complicate meeting targets for GHG emission reductions.

The government memo—prepared for then–environment minister Terry Lake—discusses a report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) that presents a “reality check” on commitments outlined in the 2007 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act. According to the CCPA’s calculations, “fracking and LNG exports will make it virtually impossible for the province to reach its legislated GHG targets.”

The government agreed with that independent assessment. “The CCPA’s range of expected emissions impacts is broadly considered consistent with those expected by the government,” reads a ministry summary of CCPA’s findings.