Yellowknife’s residents are greener than the average Canadian, a new energy study claims.
A “community energy inventory” of Yellowknife found the city’s residents put out 11.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide per person in 2013.
That’s well below the Canadian average of 16 tonnes reported in the latest World Bank data (figures in that link are given in a slightly different measure: metric tons).
The result may surprise residents of a city where power is frequently provided by diesel when hydro is unavailable.
A summary of the report also says Yellowknifers use 40 percent less energy, per person, than the Canadian average.
“Our very short commutes and traditionally smaller-than-average homes made our community perform better on many of the indicators used to measure greenhouse gas emissions,” said Dan Wong, who chaired the city’s community energy planning committee.
The city completed its study last month and will publish the full report on May 21.
Another trend highlighted is a 16 percent increase in energy use over the past decade – but the city claims residents are increasingly switching to more environmentally friendly options, such as propane and wood biomass.
