A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions – Watts Up With That?

Guest “I don’t care who you are that’s funny right there!” by David Middleton

 In-brief analysis September 15, 2025

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, State Energy Data System
Data values: Per capita CO₂ emissions from energy consumption

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Per capita CO₂ emissions from primary energy consumption decreased in every state from 2005 to 2023, according to recently released data in our State Energy Data System. Total energy-related CO₂ emissions in the United States fell 20% over that time, and the population grew by 14%, leading to a 30% decrease in per capita CO₂ emissions.

CO₂ emissions across the country primarily declined because less coal was burned in the electric power sector. 

[…]

US EIA

This bit really caught my eye:

So… California and Texas both reduced “per capita CO₂ emissions from primary energy consumption” by 24% from 2005 to 2023.

Why is this funny? Well, while energy production and energy consumption might not be the same thing, they are kind of related.

I have no idea why the EIA swapped colors from crude oil to natural gas… Weird.

If that wasn’t funny enough…

If California generates 68% of its electricity from renewables, while Texas wisely limits the unreliables to 33%… How can the TX/CA ratio be 1.4? The ratio is of MWh. 33% of 49,339 thousand MWh is a bigger number than 68% of 17,301 thousand MWh.

I couldn’t make this schist up even if I was trying…

Gov. Abbot still beat Newsom in disaster relief despite Texas Democrats stalling, hiding out

‘The gears of government to improve the response to this disaster are being slowed down and denied because Democrats are not showing up and doing their job,’ said Governor Abbott.

 By Peter Pinedo Fox News

Published August 11, 2025

Despite Democratic lawmakers fleeing and holding up vital relief efforts, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott’s flood relief was faster than California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom’s response to the L.A. wildfires.

This weekend, Abbott helped to present more than 60 of the families most impacted by the catastrophic floods in the Texas Hill Country with $25,000 relief checks, which the governor called an initial “down payment” on the relief still incoming.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Abbott explained the funds were a result of Texas partnering with country music legend George Strait and other private groups to ensure that funds raised by the star went straight to those who suffered the worst damage.

[…]

Strait’s concert closely resembles a similar star-studded benefit concert, titled “FireAid,” in California that raised more than $100 million for victims of the wildfires in Los Angeles.

FireAid billed itself as “a benefit concert for wildfire victims.” Aside from music by the likes of Lady Gaga, Jelly Roll, Katy Perry and Olivia Rodrigo, the five-hour show featured multiple stories from victims of the Altadena and Palisades fire who had lost their homes.

Fox News Digital reported in July that six months later, victims in the city’s most impacted neighborhoods still had not received any direct funds raised by the concert.

[…]

Fox News

The catastrophic wildfires begano on January 7, 2025. The FireAid concert was held on January 30, 2025. As of today, victims have not directly received “a dime”…

$100M in LA wildfire aid is being doled out to fund pet clinics, DEI projects and fungus planting— but not a dime directly to victims

By Jared Downing

Published Sep. 10, 2025

[…]

The massive, much-ballyhooed FireAid event — which drew heavy-hitter supporters such as former Veep Kamala Harris and her hubby, Doug Emhoff — has doled out the dough to 197 charities, many of which are focused on a variety of niche, woke and DEI causes not directly related to helping fire victims.

NY Post

The catastrophic Hill Country floods began on July 4, 2025…

On July 27, Strait hosted an intimate donor dinner and benefit concert in Boerne, with local first responders receiving complimentary tickets.

“In literally 10 days, we put together a fundraiser in Boerne, Texas, and we raised, to date, over $7 million,” Tom Cusick said.

Strait and Vaqueros del Mar were joined by William Beckmann, Ray Benson, Wade Bowen, Dean Dillon, Riley Green, Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Kyle Park and Hudson Westbrook at the benefit concert.

[…]

“We’ve come a long way,” recipient Miles Murayama said.

Murayama walked KSAT through his neighborhood in Hunt, Texas, about one week after the flood. One month later, he received a check from the funds raised at the benefit concert, and he said his neighborhood looks completely different.

“It looks like a normal neighborhood,” Murayama said. “It’s all cleaned up. The streets are cleaned up.”

“We feel very blessed,” Martha Murayama said.

“The destruction and loss in our community from the recent floods is hard to wrap your head around,” Strait said in a July 11 news release. “Our hearts and prayers are with you all.”

KSAT

George Strait’s attitude…

I’ve been fortunate.

—George Strait

So have the rest of us…

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