Thanks to its large energy and cattle industries, Texas produces more carbon emissions than most countries, according to a Feb. 28, 2008 report in Newsweek. If the state was an individual country, it would rank 48th for its population and 40th for its landmass, according to the report. In terms of its carbon emissions, it would rank just behind Canada at no. 8 in the world for the highest carbon emissions.

Total carbon emissions in the Lone Star State exceed those of the no. 2 and 3 states – California and Pennsylvania – combined. The good news is that Texas has managed to reduce its emissions by about 40 million metric tones since 2003 when the state was ranked the Earth’s seventh largest CO₂ emitter.

The findings can be considered reasonable. Texas is the leading producer of energy and has more cattle and oil refineries than any other state. Raising cattle contributes quite a bit to the production of carbon through the release of methane and CO₂ from transportation and processing operations.

Studies show that state residents average nearly 3,000 kW-hours of electricity usage more than the average American household. One in four vehicles registered in Texas is a pickup truck. That compares with 16 percent for the rest of the registered vehicles in the U.S.