British Columbia is defined by its resource-rich geography, Asia-Pacific trade orientation, and a predominantly hydroelectric power grid that provides a structural advantage for electrification and decarbonization.
Services account for 79% of provincial GDP, while exports remain heavily weighted toward raw and lightly processed commodities including coal, natural gas, copper, and forest products.
Four sectors account for 45.9 Mt, or 81% of provincial emissions. Electricity is included as a fifth priority not because it emits, but because it is the enabler everything else depends on.
| Sector | Mt CO₂e | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 19.6 Mt | 35% |
| Oil and gas | 12.5 Mt | 22% |
| Buildings | 8.8 Mt | 16% |
| Heavy industry | 5 Mt | 9% |
| Electricity | 0.3 Mt | 1% |
| Other emissions | 10.5 Mt | 19% |
Choose a sector in the dropdown below, or in the ring, to see its emissions breakdown, economic and trade weight, its pathway emphasis.
BC's largest source by a wide margin, and almost entirely liquid-fuelled. Passenger travel and freight movement are roughly evenly split, so neither can be solved alone, and freight is tied to the same port and logistics network that carries the province's exports.
Employment: Trade & transportation is BC's largest employer.
Goods movement supports $54.7B in total exports via BC ports and logistics networks.
Almost all of this is upstream oil and gas: 11.9 of 12.5 Mt. It is a production-side problem rather than a demand-side one, which makes methane control and electrifying field operations the fastest levers.
Oil and gas, forestry, and minerals lead goods-producing industries (21% of GDP)
Exports: Coal $6.8B; Petroleum gases $5.1B; Crude petroleum $2.4B; Petroleum oils $0.8B
Residential and service-industry buildings are similarly sized sources, at 4.4 and 4.2 Mt respectively. Fuel switching and efficiency retrofits carry existing stock, while the Energy Step Code progresses toward zero-carbon new builds by 2030.
GDP: Construction $28.6B (9%); Real estate $58.1B (18.4%); Employment: 190k in construction.
Building-related goods: Wood sawn $4.1B.
A comparatively small source spread across goods-producing industries, which account for 21% of BC's GDP. Industrial electrification and fuel switching lead, with the Output-Based Pricing System and CleanBC Industry Fund driving clean technology deployment.
Goods-producing industries account for 21% of BC's GDP.
Major industrial exports include: Copper ores $5.3B; Wood pulp $2.7B; Aluminum $1.2B; Zinc $0.9B.
A structurally low-emission, hydro-dominated grid, with a 100% clean electricity delivery standard for BC Hydro and gas-fired generation to be phased out by 2030. The task is expanding clean supply and transmission to meet electrification demand from transport, buildings, industry, and hydrogen.
Public investment: $260M for electrification; $50M to attract electricity-intensive industries.
Clean electricity supports competitiveness of export-oriented industries.
Detail coming soon for Other emissions.
| Actions | Sector weight |
|---|---|
|
TRANSPORTATION
Accelerate transportation electrification and freight decarbonization
Expand the ZEV mandate and charging infrastructure buildout while improving freight efficiency and supporting mode shift toward transit, cycling and walking, consistent with BC's Clean Transportation Action Plan.
|
34.6% of emissions |
|
OIL AND GAS
Reduce fossil fuel industry emissions through methane regulation, electrification and carbon management
Leverage strengthened methane regulations, the clean electricity grid for upstream electrification, and emerging carbon capture and storage capacity.
|
22.1% of emissions |
|
BUILDINGS
Scale building retrofits and enforce zero-carbon new build standards
Implement the BC Energy Step Code progression toward the 2030 zero-carbon requirement for all new buildings, and accelerate fuel switching and efficiency upgrades in existing buildings.
|
15.5% of emissions |
|
HEAVY INDUSTRY
Deploy industrial decarbonization through carbon pricing and clean technology
Maintain the Output-Based Pricing System for large emitters, support technology deployment through the CleanBC Industry Fund, and require net-zero plans for new large industrial operations.
|
8.8% of emissions |
|
ELECTRICITY
Expand clean electricity supply and grid infrastructure
Ensure sufficient generation and transmission capacity to meet growing electrification demand from transport, buildings, industry, hydrogen production, and electricity-intensive investment.
|
CORE ENABLER |
economic viability score
Economic Viability description
