This week, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released data ranking each state by annual carbon emissions based on 2011 figures. The rankings are broken down by sector, including commercial, electric power, residential, industrial, and transportation. Because energy-related carbon dioxide constitutes over 80 percent of total emissions, the state energy-related CO2 emission levels provide a good indicator of the relative contribution of states to total greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the EIA, the state level estimates are based on energy consumption data for the following fuel categories: three categories of coal (residential/commercial, industrial, and electrical power sector); natural gas; and ten petroleum products, including asphalt and road oil, aviation gasoline, lubricants, and residential fuel.
By share, Louisiana’s industrial sector produces 55.3 percent of the state’s carbon emissions – the highest industrial share in the country. That’s 123 metric tons of carbon in 2011. The only state to produce more carbon emissions from industry was Texas, with 205 metric tons produced, or 31.2% of the state’s total emissions.
Notably, the next highest state in terms of total metric tons of carbon emissions was California, with 63 metric tons in 2011 – 18.2 percent of total state emissions.
The state with the smallest share of carbon emissions from the industrial sector was Connecticut, with just 2.3 percent, or 1 metric ton. Other states with low industrial emissions include New York, with 3.4 percent or 8 metric tons, and Rhode Island with 3.9 percent or 0 metric tons.
As a country, 16.9 percent of carbon emissions in the U.S. in 2011 were from the industrial sector, with the bulk of emissions caused by the electrical power sector (39.8 percent) and transportation (33.1 percent).
Interested in how your state fared? The full report can be viewed at the EIA website. An explanation of study methodology is also available.
