These are the most polluting industries in Canada and the U.S.

A new report has found that Canada released or transferred more than 2.4 billion kilograms of industrial pollutants in 2020, with more than half stemming from one industry.

Mining creates more pollutants than any other industry in North America, according to a new report.

By analyzing data from approximately 24,000 industrial facilities in Canada, Mexico and the United States, the report, published Tuesday by the Montreal-based Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), tracked over five billion kilograms of industrial pollutants created on the continent each year.

Together, the three countries reportedly released or transferred more than 5.2 billion kilograms of industrial pollutants in 2020 alone, with 46 per cent, or 2.4 billion kg, coming from Canada. Only 18 million kg (0.35 per cent) were reported from Mexico, while 2.7 billion kg (53 per cent) came from the U.S.

The largest overall amounts of industrial pollutants were reported by the mining industry (36 per cent), followed by primary metal manufacturing (12 per cent), chemical manufacturing (11 per cent) and oil and gas extraction (seven per cent).

When it came to industrial pollutants released into the air, chemical manufacturing (26 per cent) led paper manufacturing (19 per cent), utilities like wastewater treatment (13 per cent) and food manufacturing (seven per cent). Such utilities discharged the most pollutants into surface water (56 per cent) followed by food manufacturers (16 per cent), petroleum and coal product makers (six per cent) and primary metal manufacturing (five per cent).

"In the spirit of the public’s right-to-know, Taking Stock presents and analyzes data on industrial pollutant releases and transfers to inform decisions about preventing pollution and advancing environmental justice by reducing the risk of exposure to contaminants of vulnerable communities," CEC executive director Jorge Daniel Taillant said in a news release.

The CEC was established by the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States in 1994 to foster environmental cooperation under NAFTA. The results and data can be explored in the report, Taking Stock Vol. 16, and in an interactive online portal.