In Texas, Climate
Creeping onto Agenda
Morning
Edition, November 26, 2007
Texas emits more
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than any other state. And if Texas were a
country, it would be the seventh-largest carbon dioxide polluter in the world.
Texas's high carbon
dioxide output and large energy consumption is primarily a result of large
coal-burning power plants and gas-guzzling vehicles, both of which contribute
to the pollution problem. But while many Texans think bigger is better, there
are signs of an attitude change on energy consumption.
Coal is
transported on a conveyor into TXU's Big Brown power plant near Fairfield,
Texas.
The
electric station is one of TXU's new lignite-fueled power plants. Getty Images
The
National Car of Texas
Climate activists
say that giant 14-mile-per-gallon Chevy Suburbans — once marketed as the
National Car of Texas — are part of the problem.
Texas is the
nation's largest energy hog because it has a lot of industry, a lot of people,
a lot of air conditioning, a lot of miles and a lot of big cars. Tangi Spencer,
a movie caterer in Dallas, explains the big-car phenomenon in Texas quite
simply: "Here, it's the bigger the truck, the better off you are; the
bigger the gas guzzler you are, the better off you are."
But efforts are
being made, even by religious leaders, to try to minimize consumption. In a
sermon one Sunday by Rev. Raymond Bailey, pastor of Seventh & James Baptist
Church in Waco, he suggested that his flock consider reducing so many trips in
their cars. His message was not received too favorably by a few members of his
church.
"They said to
me, 'Now preacher, now don't mess with our cars, I'm not going to give up my
car.' And that's just human nature," Bailey says. "We are willing to
call for sacrifice on the part of others, but not on self. And this global
warming is a very good example of that."
Students at Abilene
Christian University in Texas are encountering the same type of reaction as
they circulate a petition supporting a carbon-neutral campus.
"It's actually
really hard, especially in Texas, to kind of make this issue real," says
Beth McIlhaney, a 21-year-old education major. "They slough it off, just
laughing it off, [saying] 'Oh, you hippie,' or something."
Fighting
Every Step of the Way
Currently, 35
states have climate action plans in place or under consideration, including
California, Florida and New York, where the governors are Republicans. Many
have launched strong initiatives to cut carbon dioxide emissions and even
President and former Texas Gov. George W. Bush has acknowledged the human role
in climate change.
But in Texas, the
state's Republican leaders are global warming skeptics. Gov. Rick Perry
recently quipped that the largest source of carbon dioxide is Al Gore's mouth.
State Sen. Kirk
Watson, a Democrat representing Austin, proposed a bill that would have merely
set up a task force to study climate change. Though it passed the Senate, it
died in the House.
When Watson's bill
was brought before a committee, a who's who of carbon commandos signed up to
oppose it, including the Texas Oil and Gas Association, the Gulf Coast Lignite
Coalition, the Texas Chemical Council and the Texas Automobile Dealers
Association.
"So the
environment up there was a real negative environment toward making any progress
or really even being able to talk openly," Watson says.
Andrew Dessler, a
climatologist at Texas A&M University who testified at the same hearing,
was astonished at the boldness of the carbon lobbyists who were opposed to
taking action.
"So they're
going to fight you every step along the road, tooth and nail," Dessler
says. "They don't even want to talk about it, which seems just
crazy."
But Bill Peacock,
who testified against climate change bills for the influential conservative
think tank, Texas Public Policy Foundation, says not having a
government-mandated plan puts Texas in front of the rest of the world.
"Companies
here are free to respond to the marketplace," Peacock says. "So, yes,
I'm very pleased the Texas legislature decided to take more time on this issue
without passing anything."
Signs of
Change
There are signs
that that things are changing in Texas. Earlier this year, the state's largest
utility, TXU, dropped plans to build eight coal-fired plants, in part, because
of a popular uprising over their impact on air quality and the atmosphere.
And in the absence
of leadership from governments in Austin or Washington, D.C., to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions, Texas mayors are stepping forward to challenge the state's
hydrocarbon addiction.
"Texas has had
its head in the hot burning sands for quite some time," says Tom Smith,
head of the Austin office of consumer group Public Citizen. "But now it's
getting a little too hot and we're starting to look around to see what we can
do about it."