Texas Leads in Carbon Emissions

Texas leads in carbon emissions - MSNBC.com

Texas, the leader in emitting ... greenhouse gas, cranks out more than the next two biggest producers combined, California and Pennsylvania, which together have twice Texas’ population.

The largest portion of U.S. greenhouse gases are the result of emissions from generating electricity, almost 40 percent. Close behind are transportation emissions, source of about one-third of U.S. production of carbon dioxide.

On a per-person basis, Wyoming generates more carbon dioxide than any other state: 138 tons of it a year. Idaho emits the least carbon dioxide per person, less than 23,000 pounds a year.

Carbon Offsets

Carbon offset market raises questions - MSNBC.com

Carbon offsets are a way to counterbalance the use of traditional energy resources by paying money toward renewable, less- or non-polluting energy projects.

There is a growing retail market in carbon offsets both by for-profit and nonprofit providers. This market is largely unregulated and lacking in standards.

Environmentalists are quick to note that carbon offsets do have the potential to do good. Carlson said one major benefit of carbon offsets is that they often force people to evaluate how much carbon they actually are responsible for, hopefully spurning people to first make reductions and then buy offsets. It’s also seen as a practical way to fund renewable energy projects ranging from wind power to solar energy.

If you are considering carbon offsets there are a few things to look for including proof the project is having a positive impact, does the contribution prompt the provider to do something other than it would have anyway, and is the project independently verified.

Having Your Cake While Eating It

Coal plant loans offset carbon cuts - washingtonpost.com - MSNBC.com

A Depression-era program to bring electricity to rural areas is providing government support to the rush to coal plants by the nation's rural electric cooperatives who plan to spend $35 billion to build conventional coal plants over the next 10 years, enough to offset all state and federal efforts to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions over that time.

Rural co-ops rely on coal for 80 percent of their electricity, compared with 50 percent for the rest of the country, and electricity demand at rural co-ops is growing at twice the national rate.

Carbon Footprint

What is your carbon footprint?

Carbon footprint is a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide or CO2 emitted through the combustion of fossil fuels, the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of green house gases produced.

Primary and Secondary Footprints

The primary footprint is a measure of our direct emissions of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels including domestic energy consumption and transportation. The secondary footprint is a measure of the indirect CO2 emissions from the whole lifecycle of products we use. (Carbon Footprint)

Carbon Offsetting

Each of our everyday actions, such as driving our cars, heating and cooling our homes, even cooking our food, consume energy and produce carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon offsetting is a way of compensating for the emissions produced with an equivalent carbon dioxide saving elsewhere in the world.

Carbon offsetting involves two steps –

1. Calculate your own carbon footprint. There are many online calculators to help you do this (see below).
   
2. The second step involves buying carbon offset credits from emission reduction projects. Such projects will prevent or remove an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide somewhere else on the planet.

• Some Carbon Footprint Calculators - Carbon Footprint - BP - An Inconvenient Truth - Conservation International

• Other Links of Interest - The Carbon Footprint of a Burger - Ecological Footprint Quiz