No fracked gas cayuga6/2/2023 ![]() ![]() The paper leads with a quick note on methane leakage in natural gas production. Shutterstock Methane leakage may make natural gas as bad as coal, but it’s not the reason gas has no future Let’s review the five topline ones for why natural gas is not, and can not be, a bridge to a cleaner energy system. ![]() Helpfully, the think tank Oil Change International (OCI) has just put out a paper making those very arguments. Since climate policy promises to be a hot item this primary season, let’s quickly review the reasons natural gas has got to go. It’s now clear that if the world is to meet the climate targets it promised in Paris, natural gas, like coal, must be deliberately and rapidly phased out. You see, all those arguments for natural gas that seemed so compelling during the Obama years have fallen apart. It’s a beguiling strategy for Democrats who are fearful of being seen as too liberal. Biden is likely to try to signal that he’s a centrist by embracing natural gas’s role as a bridge fuel. But the first thing I thought of when he said it was natural gas. No one knows yet what Joe Biden meant when he promised a “ middle ground” on climate strategy a few weeks ago (he’s expected to release some policy shortly). To this day, there are “centrist” Democratic groups pushing the line that embracing natural gas (and nuclear, and carbon sequestration) is the “moderate” road forward on climate change. It was en vogue during the Obama years to refer to natural gas as a “bridge fuel,” a fossil fuel that could help reduce emissions while truly clean alternatives were developed. President Obama encouraged natural gas production and proudly took credit for the emission reductions it produced when substituting for coal. One area where this split is particularly notable is around the role of natural gas in a clean energy future.įor Democrats, support for natural gas has always been a signifier of moderation on climate policy. The opinion of policymakers has not always kept up. Expert opinion on climate change policy has been evolving quickly.
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