Rapport d’étude de la Chaire de gestion du secteur de l’énergie – HEC Montréal
Numéro 03 | 2014
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Résumé
This study is a general overview of the transport sector in Canada and more precisely in the province of Québec, within the context of global warming.
Firstly, we stress the environmental stakes of this issue: global warming effects have already an impact on Canada’s average temperature and ecosystem. Short-term and long-term financial stakes are also present: regarding the long term global warming changes our ecosystem and puts into question our way of production. Thus, it has long-term economic effects. Regarding the short-term Canada signed in 2009 the Copenhagen Accord, which quantifies the economy-wide greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions target for 2020 to a 17% reduction in emissions compared to 2005. We then cast the light on transport sector which is directly responsible for 20% of Canada’s GHG emissions, but more than 40% in the case of Quebec. Transport-related GHG emissions have been increasing these last years, turning thus the question of transportation into a central issue today for the Canadian community.
In a second part, we describe the general transportation trends in Canada. Transport covers both passengers and goods. Regarding passenger transportation in developed countries, we notice a decline in the growth rate of the vehicle fleet, a change in the use of cars as well as higher fuel prices. Regarding good transportation, we notice a strong correlation to the economic activities (and thus a huge slowdown from 2009 to 2011 because of the crisis). Eventually in developed countries funds are mostly dedicated to the maintenance of infrastructures than to the development of infrastructures. We highlight the importance of road transportation in Canada regarding passenger transportation or good transportation (in terms of quantity of goods or passengers transported, in terms of GHG emissions as well). We eventually focus on Québec to describe precisely each mean of transportation: road transportation (type of vehicles, fuel consumption, user cost …), train transportation, sea transportation, air transportation. As road transportation is the mean of transport the most used in Québec (in Canada as well) and as it is responsible for the main part of GHG emissions in transport sector, we really focus on this mean of transportation.
REZVOY, S., « Transport sector in Canada – Special focus on the province of Quebec », Rapports d’étude de la Chaire de gestion du secteur de l’énergie, HEC Montréal, numéro 03|2014, juillet 2014.
Les rapports d’étude de la Chaire de gestion du secteur de l’énergie ont été réalisés par des étudiants sous la supervision d’un professeur et sont des publications aux fins d’information et de discussion. La création de cette série de rapports est rendue possible grâce au soutien d’entreprises partenaires de la Chaire. Les commentaires et suggestions sont bienvenus et devraient être adressés à (aux) auteur(s).
