Texas is Big on Pollution

William Atkins
Sunday, 20 January 2008 16:57

Opinion and Analysis

Texas is, as the EIA report states, the leading producer of energy, along with having the largest refining capacity of any state and having the largest petrochemical industry in the country.

However, any state would be hard pressed not to be number one in carbon dioxide emissions when it is the leading producer of pollution-emitting energy in the nation.

So, maybe it’s not solely Texas’ fault that it has the largest number of greenhouse gases of all of the fifty states and the District of Columbia, but the fault of everyone here in the United States and a major problem of the entire nation.

What do you think?

Can we solely blame Texas for producing much of the gasoline that the entire nation needs and uses on our highways and byways?

Or, is it a bigger problem with plenty of individuals and organizations that should share the responsibility of providing for cleaner alternatives to our energy needs?

Here is some background on carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound made up of two oxygen atoms bonded to one carbon atom. It is a colorless, odorless gas at normal temperatures and pressures found on Earth.

Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas because it transmits visible light (a particular type of radiation) but absorbs strongly radiation in the infrared range (another type of electromagnetic radiation).

It is produced by plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms during respiration and is used by plants during photosynthesis. Thus, it is a major part of the natural carbon cycle. Many earthbound actions (such as activity within hot springs and volcanoes) also spew out carbon dioxide.

However, carbon dioxide is also made artificially by humans.

It is made when wood and fossil fuels are burned (in a process known as combustion). It is made as a byproduct of the fermentation of sugar—such as when alcohol is produced. Carbon dioxide is made when limestone is manufactured from lime. There are also other human-made ways in which carbon dioxide is produced.

Scientists contend that the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased by over 30 percent since the start of the Industrial Revolution. Electric power generation, motorized vehicles, the artificial processes mentioned above, and other artificial methods all produce carbon dioxide.

Many scientists state that the increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide, along with other greenhouse gases, in our world’s atmosphere is causing our planet to become warmer—what we call global warming.

In all likelihood, global warming is a combination of natural and artificial processess. The question is: of what percentage is global warming a natural process and what percentage of it is an artificial process?