Natural gas 'is a bridge to nowhere'

Scientists have recently published a journal documenting findings that suggest natural gas is a bridge to nowhere, arguing that methane leaks 'undercuts or eliminates entirely' the climate benefit of a move to natural.

The article, entitled Greater Focus Needed on Methane Leakage from Natural Gas Infrastructure, concluded that leakage rates are higher than originally thought, which consequently means that there is no climate benefit unless methane leaks can be adequately capped.

Natural gas is thought to be far more beneficial to the environment than burning fossil fuels, which pumps CO2 into the environment. However, methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and unless this can be capped, the climate benefits are greatly reduced.

The new Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study has introduced the idea of “technology warming potentials” (TWPs) to reveal “reveal time-dependent tradeoffs inherent in a choice between alternative technologies.” This could provide an overall and realistic view of the benefits of natural gas over fossil fuels.

One example provided in the study showed that switching from coal to gas may only reduce TWP by 25 per cent over the first decade, which is far removed from previous estimates, which usually point to figures of over 50 per cent.

Posted by Joseph Hutton