Greenpeace: New Mexico belches more greenhouse gases than 137 countries

According to a report by Greenpeace, New Mexico emitted more global warming pollution from fossil fuel consumption since 1960 than the emissions of 137 of the 184 countries with comprehensive data available.The study looked at each state in the United States compared to the rest of the country. New Mexico had the 11th most per capita carbon emissions from 1960-2005. Wyoming had the most per capita.
In overall emissions, however, New Mexico ranked 19th 33rd among all U.S. states, while Vermont had the least carbon emissions in both counts.
The United States as a whole had 26 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions according to the Greenepeace report. The United States ranked third in per capita carbon dioxide emissions behind just Luxembourg and Estonia.
“Here in New Mexico we are already seeing the effects of climate change on our community,” Greenpeace field organizer Joe Smyth said.
In 2007, New Mexico joined the Western Climate Action Initiative (WCI) along with Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington. The WCI sets a regional global warming emissions reduction goal.
Also, in 2005, New Mexico “established a statewide goal to reduce global warming emissions to 2000 levels by 2012, 10 percent below 2000 levels by 2020, and 75 percent below 2000 levels by 2050.”
“If we want to reduce global warming’s impacts and kick-start a clean energy future we must think not as New Mexicans but as citizens of the world,” Smyth said. “If we let our government get it wrong on global warming, instead of being the planet’s best hope, we will remain its biggest obstacle to progress.”