Final answer:
Canada's high energy use per person is due to its large geographical size requiring extensive transportation, harsh climate requiring more heating, and high living standards correlating with greater energy consumption. Energy-intensive lifestyles and economic activities further contribute to this usage.
Step-by-step explanation:
Canada's high energy usage per person can be attributed to a combination of factors. These include its geographical extent, requiring extensive long-haul transportation across the country, and its cold climate, which necessitates increased heating. Furthermore, energy consumption is often tied to economic well-being, with higher standards of living generally correlated with greater energy use. Canadian lifestyles, which include consumer behavior and comfort standards, also contribute to the per capita energy consumption.
Moreover, countries like Canada and the United States, with their significant natural resources and technological capabilities, have developed energy-intensive infrastructures. This includes the widespread use of individual automobiles, detached housing with higher heating and cooling needs, and industries that consume large amounts of energy. While non-renewable sources dominate, renewable energy sources such as hydroelectric power start to contribute more but still represent a small fraction of the total energy mix.
It's also essential to consider that, per the law of conservation of energy, all uses of energy for practical purposes result in some energy being converted to less useful forms, such as waste heat, which further emphasizes the amount of energy expended by societies like Canada's. As global energy consumption increases with population and GDP growth, understanding the drivers of high per-capita energy use becomes increasingly important for sustainable development.