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| Human Activity and the Environment: Annual Statistics
2006 Section I : Transportation in Canada 
Transportation provides people and businesses with services that are fundamental to our standard of living and well-being. The transportation system connects communities by moving people and goods and, in an increasingly globalized world, it is vital to trade and competitiveness. In Canada, we demand much from transportation, with our geographically dispersed yet highly urbanized population and heavy dependence on trade. Our transportation system has more kilometres of roads per person than almost any other nation. It also includes: 10 major international airports and 300 smaller ones; 72,093 km of operating railroad tracks; and more than 300 commercial ports and harbours, which provide access to three oceans and the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System. 1, 2 Our rising population and continued growth in trade are pushing up transport-related energy usage as never before. We rank near the top in per capita use of fossil fuels, and we pay a price: from greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution to contamination of water and soil. Large portions of land are devoted to transportation and wildlife habitat is fragmented by its infrastructure. Transportation's effects on the environment are felt locally and globally. Governments and businesses are running programs and developing new techniques and technologies to help reduce transportation’s impact on the environment. Individuals also play a role. 
Transportation: an economic driver The 'transportation industries'—those that use aircraft, trucks, trains, ships or other equipment to provide transportation services to clients for a fee—accounted for 3.7% of Canada's economic output as measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2000. While this makes up a significant share of economic activity, recent research shows that transportation services contribute far more to the economy if we look beyond the 'for-hire' transportation industry. 3 This is because many non-transportation industries, from forestry and logging to wholesale trade, produce their own transportation services by operating fleets of trucks, buses or ships. When the value of these 'in- house' transportation services is added to the mix, the contribution of transportation to GDP jumps to 6.3%. This places transportation's contribution ahead of retail trade, construction and the mining, oil and gas industries. The number one occupation among men, according to the 2001 census, was truck driver. When we talk about 'transportation,' the use of private vehicles to get around in our daily lives is also a significant component of the overall picture. Moving people: how Canadians get around Canadians must cover a lot of ground—both to cover the distance between far-flung urban centres and to move around within them. As a result, they are very dependent on passenger transportation (text table 1.1 ). As in most developed countries, Canadians are very reliant on the automobile. From the postwar era onwards, vehicle ownership rates were spurred on by relatively low prices for vehicles and gasoline, increased spending on expressways and road systems, and socioeconomic factors like higher household incomes, smaller-sized households, and more women entering the workforce. 4 In 1951 there were nearly 5 people for every vehicle registered in Canada. By the mid-1980’s this number had fallen to less than two persons per vehicle (chart 1.1 ). As the number of vehicles continued to climb, consumer tastes shifted away from the family sedan towards light trucks—vans, sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and pickups. From 2000 to 2005, the number of light trucks on Canadian roads grew by more than one-quarter, while the number of cars and station wagons fell by 1%. In 2005, vans, SUVs and pickups made up 42% of the 18 million light vehicles 5 on the road in Canada. These vehicles tend to use more fuel than cars and station wagons (text table 1.2 ). Growing rates of urbanization While our widespread dependence on the automobile can be attributed to many factors, suburban expansion may be one of the most important. In 2001, 80% of the Canadian population lived in an urban area compared to just under 76% two decades earlier. For the majority of these urban areas, population growth has been fastest in the suburban fringe. At the same time, employment growth in the suburbs has been on the rise. According to the Census, between 1996 and 2001, for each new job created within a 5 km radius of a city core, nearly five were created in the suburbs. As more people and jobs have become 'suburbanized,' commuting patterns have become more complex and diffuse. The suburb-to-city-core commuting route, the one that is most easily supported by traditional public transit systems, has increasingly given way to suburb-to-suburb commutes. Even reverse daily commuting—from city core to suburb—is becoming more common. Canadians living or working in more distant suburbs are much more likely to drive to work than to use the bus or some other means (text table 1.3 ). According to the General Social Survey of time use, the proportion of workers in Canada who used the bus or subway to get to and from work remained steady at about 12% between 1992 and 2005. In large urban areas, where service is more accessible to commuters, this proportion was higher—20% of workers in Canada’s six largest metropolitan areas used the bus or subway for part or all of their commute in 1992 and 2005. 6 Whether they use public transit or travel by automobile, workers are spending more time commuting to and from work. Average commute time varies from region to region, but for Canada as a whole, commuters spent an average of 63 minutes getting to work and back again in 2005, compared to 59 minutes in 1998 and 54 minutes in 1992. 7
Freight transport As with the movement of people, demand for freight transportation has grown steadily in recent decades and continues to rise—especially the demand for truck transport. In Canada, more goods are shipped by water (443 million tonnes in 2003) and rail (338 million tonnes) than by any other means; the lion's share of coal, lumber and other heavy bulk goods is carried by these behemoths of transport. For-hire trucking followed closely in third place, carrying 305 million tonnes (chart 1.2 ). Air cargo ranked a distant fourth, carrying 663 thousand tonnes 8 of mainly high-value goods in 2003. Although trucking’s share takes third place in weight terms, its importance in the overall scheme of freight transportation has grown substantially. From 1990 to 2003, the amount of freight carried by the for-hire trucking industry grew nearly three times faster (75%) than all other modes combined (up a collective 27% over the same period). What's more, these numbers do not include goods shipped by 'private trucking'—trucking fleets owned or leased by companies outside of the trucking industry who look after their own shipping—or by small and local for-hire carriers. In economic output terms—as measured by GDP—private trucking and delivery services accounted for more than half (58%) of trucking's overall contribution to GDP in 2000. 9
Trucking and trade Spurred on by trade agreements—from the Auto Pact (1966) to NAFTA (1994)—Canada's trade with the US grew by 191% from 1990 to 2005. 10 As bilateral trading partners go, Canada and the US rank first in the world. For the for-hire trucking industry, this has meant an ever-increasing demand for freight movement over the border. On a tonne-kilometre basis (taking weight of shipments and distance traveled into account) truck traffic moving across the Canada-US border grew five times faster than domestic traffic, between 1990 and 2003 (chart 1.3 ). A booming 'scheduled' economy The ability to deliver goods door-to-door—in sync with customers' production and distribution needs—has made trucking a highly valued service for the scheduled economy. The 'just-in-time' delivery of freight, where parts and products are scheduled to arrive as they are needed, helps firms stay leaner and more competitive by reducing the costs of carrying large inventories. 11 From 1992 to 2005, manufacturers were able to reduce inventories as a share of shipments by 15%, 12 thanks in part to more frequent deliveries by truck. Fuelling the economy Growing demand for both passenger and freight transportation continues to push up demand for gasoline and diesel fuel in Canada. From 1990 to 2004, the volume of fuel purchased at the pump grew by more than 20%. Over the same period, growing demand for trucking (particularly for the services of heavy trucks) helped push up fuel consumption by road transport and urban transit by more than 70%. While most retail pump sales are made to individuals, some commercial vehicles including taxis and fleet vehicles also purchase retail fuel (text table 1.4 ). While overall fuel consumption by the transportation industry continues to rise, the 'intensity' with which transport industries are using energy has tended to fall over time. Put another way, when comparing energy use to economic output, these industries are using less and less energy for each thousand dollars of real gross domestic product in transportation services (chart 1.4 ). 
Transportation’s environmental impacts 
From urban sprawl and gridlock to air pollution from high-flying jets, the transportation choices we make every day affect the environment. Significant environmental effects result from the use of fossil fuels. Transportation consumed 31% of all energy used in Canada in 2004, the second largest user after industry (mining, manufacturing, forestry, and construction). 13 Paving over land for highways and parking lots, introducing invasive species (such as zebra mussels in the Great Lakes) and throwing out old tires and used motor oil are other ways transportation can affect the environment (text table 1.5 ). The air we breathe A significant portion of regional air pollution results from transportation activities. In Canada, the major air pollutants—known as 'criteria air contaminants' (CAC)—are monitored by the National Air Pollution Surveillance Network at over 150 stations in 55 cities across the country. (Text box Criteria air contaminants.) Transportation is a major emitter of three of these contaminants: nearly three-quarters of the carbon monoxide (CO), more than one-half of the nitrogen oxides (NOx) and more than one-quarter of the volatile organic compounds (VOC) in 2004 14 (text table 1.6 ). The good news is that, over time, transportation's output of CAC has declined. The introduction of catalytic converters, cleaner burning fuels and higher fuel efficiency standards have all contributed to the decrease. For example, NOx emissions from transportation were 19% lower in 2004 than in 1990. In the same period, CO and VOC emissions each dropped 37% (chart 1.5 and text table 1.6 ). However, these emissions continue to be a concern because of their potential environmental and human health impacts. For example, NOx and VOC are precursors to the formation of ground level ozone—a key component of smog. NOx is also a major contributor to acid rain. Small amounts of CO can slow human response and perception, and prolonged exposure to low levels—or brief exposure to high concentrations—can cause unconsciousness and death. While the bulk of CAC emissions come from road sources, not all types of vehicles contribute equally to the mix. Heavy-duty vehicles (including tractor trailers, for example) were responsible for 25% of transportation NOx emissions in 2004. Light trucks—vans, SUVs and pickups—contributed 22% of transportation VOC and 31% of transportation CO emissions; light automobiles—cars and station wagons—were accountable for 23% of VOC and 30% of CO.
Living in a greenhouse Naturally occurring greenhouse gases (GHG) help regulate the planet's climate by trapping solar energy, which warms the earth’s surface. However, since industrialization, GHG emissions from human activities have amplified this natural process, and scientists predict that this trend will continue. 15 Transportation is a major source of GHG emissions. In 2004, transportation accounted for 26% of total GHG emissions in Canada and 28% of emissions growth since 1990. Greenhouse gases emitted by transportation include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). 16 From 1990 to 2004, GHG emissions from transportation rose 30%, or almost 45 megatonnes. Our growing dependence on road vehicles to move people and goods was the main contributor to the increase (text table 1.7 ). Eighty-six percent of the increase in transportation's emissions came from road vehicles, in particular light trucks and heavy-duty vehicles (chart 1.6 ). SUVs, pickups and vans have grown in popularity. From 2000 to 2005, the fleet of light automobiles fell 1%, while the number of light trucks rose 26%, according to the Canadian Vehicle Survey. 17 Generally, light trucks are heavier and have greater horsepower than cars. In 2005, the average fuel efficiency for cars in the Canadian vehicle fleet was 9.1 L/100 km; for pickups, 14.0 L/100 km; and for vans, 11.5 L/100 km. 18
The share of freight moved by road relative to other types of transportation is also affecting GHG emissions. Just-in-time delivery—in lieu of carrying large inventories—means trucks are making more trips. The number of tractor trailers registered was 32% larger in 2005 than in 2000; the number of straight trucks was up 12%. 19 
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