Don’t Mess With Texas…or its Big Carbon Footprint
January 30, 2008 by Ali
Filed under Green Living
Texas is big and so is the state’s carbon footprint. TIME magazine just reported that Texas is the biggest carbon polluter in the nation and would rank seventh in the world if it was its own country.
What makes this state’s carbon footprint so big? 19 coal-burning power plants, lots o’ refineries and chemical plants, poor mass transit, and a lot of SUVs.
Now before you say aren’t they producing energy for the rest of us? consider this: (according to TIME) Texas consumes more coal than any other state. And its per-capita residential use of electricity is significantly higher than the national average.
So, to be fair, here’s a little challenge to all my Texas-based readers: what are you doing about this? I don’t like to generalize so here’s your chance to break the stereotype set by this news. Let us know how you’re living green in the Lone Star State and set the record straight.
Texas is Biggest Carbon Polluter at TIME
Wow! The detail that sticks out for me is that it “would rank seventh in the world if it was its own country.” Holy CRAP. Come on, Texas, get your act together!
Kristen
Ali, have you read “The World Without Us” yet? I’m halfway through it and loving it – I just finished reading a fascinating chapter on what would happen to the area between Houston and the Gulf Coast if there were no longer humans around to manage the fires, the explosions, the overflows in the hundreds of miles of petroleum pipelines and refineries and everything else associated with the industry. Talk about a footprint….