As the federal election gets underway, one group expects the carbon trail left behind could speak volumes to environmentally-aware Canadians.
The David Suzuki Foundation, in partnership with CTV's Canada AM will be tracking the emissions generated as the Conservative, Liberal and NDP leaders travel by plane, bus and train across the country.
Dale Marshall, a climate change policy analyst with the David Suzuki Foundation, told CTV's Canada AM it's relatively easy to do the math.
Carbon emissions are calculated by considering the distance travelled and the mode of transportation, plus how much fuel is used per kilometre and the type of fuel, Marshall said.
While it is early in the race, the impact of different modes of transportation and the distance travelled is already showing.
The quantity generated in the first two days of the 2008 campaign (Sept. 7 and 8) is:
- Liberal Party Leader Stephane Dion - 0.25 tonnes
- Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper - 64.4 tonnes
- NDP Leader Jack Layton - 54.1 tonnes
In comparison, the average Canadian puts out just over five tonnes of carbon per year between household and automobile emissions. That breaks down to an average of about 0.0274 tonnes over two days.
The difference to date stems primarily from the use of planes by the Conservatives and NDP, while Dion has travelled primarily by bus only short distances.
"We know that flying by plane uses up a lot of fuel and puts out a lot of emissions, so the fact that Stephane Dion, as leader of the Liberals, has only gone from Ottawa to Montreal by bus, and campaigned in Montreal, not gone on a plane, is why you have such a stark difference right now," Marshall said.
When the Liberal plane is ready to take off, much of the gap is expected to disappear.
However, according to Marshall, the Liberals, NDP, Bloc Quebecois and Green Party will be compensating for the emissions generated by the campaign by buying carbon credits, in the hopes of running a "carbon neutral" campaign.
Carbon offset credits can include investment in projects that lower emissions, such as energy efficient programs and clean energy projects.
According to Marshall, "(The parties) have said that they will offset their emissions completely, by using high quality offsets, so those are the emissions before any offsets are bought."
