Natural Gas: A Climate Change Ally
By Bob Betts
The transportation sector is responsible for billions of dollars of economic activity in Ontario every year. Whether it is the just-in-time delivery of products to store shelves, getting needed material to manufacturers, bringing the bounty of Ontario agriculture to a local famers’ market or getting people to work on time, the transportation sector is vital for moving goods, services and people across the vast distances of Ontario.
However, this vital sector is also the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in the province. In fact, the transportation sector is responsible for about 34 per cent of emissions in Ontario, ahead of electricity production, agriculture and the heating and cooling of homes and businesses.
Emissions from the transportation sector are a serious challenge for Ontario – but it is also a source of great opportunity. As the government of Ontario works with its federal and provincial counterparts to address climate change, the province can show climate leadership by advocating for an increased role for natural gas in the transportation sector to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this way, natural gas can be a climate change ally, especially in the short to medium term.
The transportation sector is already leading. The Ontario Natural Gas Alliance spoke with leaders in natural gas transportation, Groupe Robert and Hamilton Street Railway to see how they put natural gas to work. Watch the video below and see how these leaders have embraced clean, reliable and affordable natural gas.