US gas boom causes methane leaks

The switch from coal to natural gas as a fuel for electricity production in the US has been previously praised as a successful way of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emissions the country creates. It has now arisen that although carbon dioxide emissions have been reduced, methane leaks occurring at production sites could make the benefits of the power source switch negligible.

A new report produced by the Centre for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) has suggested that climate benefits may be outweighed by the amount of methane that is leaking into the atmosphere. The report, entitled Levering Natural Gas to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, is an examination of the benefits of using natural gas and the climate challenges that its use creates.

The amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced by the US last year was reduced to the country's lowest point since 1994, according to figures from the Department of Energy. The US energy industry reduced carbon dioxide emissions that were around 12 per cent below the levels recorded in 2005. However, the report claims that these reductions will not be adequate in altering the course of climate change.

The reduction in last year's carbon dioxide emissions and any continued reduction is not enough to make up for the drastic increase in the amount of methane that is being released into the atmosphere from the production, storage and transport of natural gas. Methane leaks occur at natural gas well sites, along transport pipelines and at compressor stations. Methane is 25 times more damaging to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

Eileen Claussen, C2ES president, said: "The natural gas boom can help grow the economy while shrinking our carbon footprint, and there's much greater potential on both fronts, but we need a diverse energy supply. Natural gas is not carbon-free and we can't let it crowd out nuclear and renewables. It's also critical that we do a better job of measuring and minimising methane releases."