Moreover, the reliance on industrial production in
the Midwest leaves the region susceptible to fluctuations of oil prices given their use as an input in the manufacturing process.
According to a new study of 28,000 measurements collected between 2000 and 2006 and analyzed by NOAA's CarbonTracker system, only about a third of the carbon dioxide is absorbed by carbon sinks such as the soil and forests; a large portion of it ends up in the atmosphere - but that still
leaves a significant amount unaccounted for.Interestingly, the CarbonTracker found carbon emissions to be highest in the
Midwest; that single
region released more carbon dioxide than any other country - except Russia, China, India and, of course, the U.S. Carbon dioxide was found to be most readily absorbed east of the Rocky Mountains and in northern Canada.