Montana ranks high in greenhouse gases

The state of Montana produces as much pollution tied to global warming as 57 Third
World countries, a new study shows.

BY JENNIFER MCKEE
Gazette State Bureau

The report, "First in Emissions, Behind in Solutions," released by the National Environmental Trust
Thursday, examines the global warming pollution produced in all 50 states and compares that with totals from
developing countries.
The report cites figures from the U.S. State Department, Cambridge University and others. It was released
at a press conference Thursday morning.
Global warming is thought to be caused by a thickening of a layer of atmospheric gases that traps the
sun’s heat and holds it close to the Earth’s surface. Pollution from cars, power plants and other industries are
believed to be the biggest contributors.

Montana not only produces more greenhouse effect-causing pollution as developing nations, but the state
also produces more pollution per capita than the national average, the report says. Nationally, America
produces about 5.3 million metric tons of carbon equivalent, or MMTCE, a measurement of pollution, for every
million people in the country. Montana produces 9.23 MMTCEs for every million people living here.
Montana, with a population of 904,000 people, produced almost twice as much global warming pollution
as Maine, with a population of 1.2 million, and Idaho, with a population of 1.3 million, the study said.
Most of Montana’s pollution comes from electrical utilities, the report shows. Montana’s global warming
pollution tied to tailpipe exhaust was one of the lower in the country.
Becky Douglas, with the National Environmental Trust’s Missoula office, said that while Montana might feel
far away from the smog and pollution of big cities, the state still pumps out a fair amount of global warming and
could be hard hit by an increasingly warm environment.
The glaciers of Glacier National Park are already melting, and Douglas said they would be gone entirely in
less than 30 years if global warming continues, as all indications show it will.

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