room to improve
New report ranks Texas in the middle for sustainable development
Texas appears in the middle of the pack in a new ranking of the best states for sustainable development.
SmileHub, a nonprofit that rates charities, examined 20 key metrics to create its list of the best states for sustainable development. Among the metrics it studied were the share of urban tree cover, green buildings per capita and clean energy jobs per capita. Once SmileHub crunched all the numbers, it put Texas in 24th place — one notch above average.
The United Nations defines sustainable development as “meeting present needs without compromising the chances of future generations to meet their needs.”
Here’s how Texas fared in several of SmileHub’s ranking categories:
- No. 2 for water efficiency and sustainability
- No. 7 for presence of wastewater reuse initiatives
- No. 18 for environmental protection charities per capita
- No. 25 for green buildings per capita
- No. 34 for clean energy jobs per capita
- No. 34 for industrial toxins per square mile
- No. 38 for share of tree cover in urban areas
California leads the SmileHub list, followed by Vermont, Massachusetts, Oregon and Maryland.
When it comes to water, a 2024 report commissioned by Texas 2036, a nonpartisan think tank, recommends that Texas invest $154 billion over the next 50 years in new water supply and infrastructure to support sustainable growth, according to the Greater Houston Partnership.
“The report underscores a stark reality: a comprehensive, sustainable funding strategy for water is necessary to keep Texas economically resilient and competitive,” the partnership says.
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