Canada's largest public companies are paying more attention to carbon management, the Conference Board of Canada said Thursday.

The board asked the 200 biggest publicly-traded companies for details on their climate change activities. The board found a significant increase in the number which had increased their carbon management efforts since its first survey in 2006.

Ninety-seven companies responded to the board's request for information. They represented 77 per cent of the market value of the TSX.

Canadian firms middle of the pack

The board found Canadian companies ranked in the middle when compared with their peers in other countries in terms of how closely they work with governments on the issue of climate change and on the disclosure of their emission levels and carbon-credit trading.

Canadian companies ranked below the global average in what the board called their perception of carbon regulation as an opportunity instead of a risk, emission reduction plans, and use of independent outsiders to verify emissions levels.

It listed 10 companies as leaders in disclosing their carbon management activities, including: Canadian National Railways, Enbridge, EnCana, Suncor, Bombardier, ARC Energy Trust, Catalyst Paper, Gaz Métro, Emera, and Penn West Energy Trust.