Quebec is defined by its near-entirely hydroelectric power grid, a cap-and-trade system linked with California, and targets of 37.5% below 1990 emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.
A diversified, services-based economy with strengths in aerospace, aluminum, forestry, and mining is supported by abundant, low-cost clean hydroelectricity, with exports led by aircraft, unwrought aluminum, and iron ores.
Four sectors account for 66.3 Mt, or 86% of provincial emissions. Electricity is included as a fifth priority not because it emits, but because abundant clean hydropower is the enabler everything else depends on.
| Sector | Mt CO₂e | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 30.7 Mt | 40% |
| Heavy industry | 17.9 Mt | 23% |
| Buildings | 8.9 Mt | 11% |
| Agriculture | 8.8 Mt | 11% |
| Electricity | 0.4 Mt | 1% |
| Other emissions | 10.9 Mt | 14% |
Choose a sector in the dropdown below, or in the ring, to see its emissions breakdown, economic and trade weight, its pathway emphasis.
Quebec's largest source by a wide margin. With the grid already near-zero-emission, road transport is the province's defining challenge, and the response is scale: 2 million EVs targeted by 2030, a 100% ZEV mandate by 2035, and 110,000 public Level 2 charging stations.
Employment: Transportation and warehousing account for approximately 4.9% of Quebec employment.
Goods movement supports $124.3B in total exports; ~70% to the United States.
Aluminum smelting, cement, chemicals, and pulp and paper drive industrial emissions, including process emissions that combustion switching alone cannot address. Clean electricity makes electrification of industrial heat the lead option, alongside fuel switching from natural gas and bioenergy.
GDP: Manufacturing is a major GDP sector; Employment: Manufacturing employs approximately 501k in Quebec.
Exports: Aircraft $12.4B; Aluminum $8.9B; Iron ore $4.0B; Wood products $3.5B.
Space and water heating with natural gas and oil drives building emissions. With near-zero-emission power available, electrified heat pumps are the lead option, supported by efficiency retrofits and building code improvements.
GDP: Real estate and construction are among the largest GDP sectors; Employment: Construction employs approximately 316k in Quebec.
Building-related goods exports: wood and wood products are a significant export category.
Methane from livestock and nitrous oxide from soil management drive agricultural emissions, with dairy the largest sub-sector. Quebec targets a 5% cut in soil-management emissions and a 6% cut in livestock methane by 2030, against 2017 levels.
51k jobs in agricultural production; dairy is the largest sub-sector at 24% of farm receipts, and Quebec supplies 36.9% of Canada's milk.
Agri-food exports: $12.6B in 2024, led by pork ($1.8B), maple and honey products ($0.96B), and grains ($0.90B); 72% destined for the U.S.
Electricity is a negligible emissions source — 94% hydro at 1.2 g CO2e/kWh — and matters as the enabler of economy-wide electrification. The task is maintaining and expanding clean hydroelectric supply and growing wind as transport, industry, and buildings electrify.
Generation: 195.5 TWh in 2023 (94% hydro), half of Canada's hydroelectricity; 45,189 MW renewable capacity installed.
Electricity exports: Hydro-Québec sold 15.1 TWh outside Quebec in 2024; interconnections with Ontario, New Brunswick, New England, and New York.
Detail coming soon for Other emissions.
| Actions | Sector weight |
|---|---|
|
TRANSPORTATION
Accelerate transportation electrification and modal shift
Target 2 million electric vehicles by 2030 and 100% ZEV sales by 2035, expand public charging to 110,000 Level 2 stations, and increase active and collective transportation mode share.
|
39.6% of emissions |
|
HEAVY INDUSTRY
Decarbonize heavy industry through electrification, fuel switching and process innovation
Support large emitters through the MADI transition program, leverage clean electricity for electrification of industrial heat, and reduce process emissions from aluminum smelting, cement, and chemicals.
|
23.1% of emissions |
|
BUILDINGS
Scale building electrification and energy efficiency retrofits
Accelerate the shift from natural gas and oil heating to electric heat pumps in residential and commercial buildings, supported by building code improvements and retrofit incentives.
|
11.5% of emissions |
|
AGRICULTURE
Reduce agricultural emissions through soil management and livestock methane abatement
Target a 5% reduction in emissions linked to agricultural soil management and a 6% reduction in livestock methane by 2030, compared to 2017 levels.
|
11.4% of emissions |
|
ELECTRICITY
Expand clean electricity supply and grid capacity to enable electrification
The grid is already near-zero-emission at 0.4 Mt, so the constraint is supply rather than intensity. Hydro-Québec's Action Plan 2035 targets 8,000 to 9,000 MW of new capacity and about 60 TWh of added generation by 2035, including 3,800 to 4,200 MW of hydropower plus new wind, solar and storage, and 5,000 km of new transmission lines, against demand expected to double by 2050.
|
CORE ENABLER |
economic viability score
Economic Viability description
