No and yes. See Germany. We can’t keep natural gas and Germany’s switch from coal to now very expensive natural gas to meet theoretic self-imposed emission milestones “while they build a greener infrastructure“ rather than the going directly for the end goal has cost them and the rest of the world billions in multiple ways. The investement from government and subsidized investments from consumers, the unexpected hike in gas rates, and its negative effects on the climate. Obviously different from what you suggest (just plants) and it’ll probably take a couple of decades before we can do without natural gas but consider the following:
When comparing coal to natural gas, proponents of the latter often make the hydrocarbon comparisson and impact of the gas without looking at the way it is mined.
“Since methane has [27-]85 times the warming potency of carbon dioxide, natural gas with leaks or fugitive emissions during production and transport of more than 3.5 percent is worse than coal from a climate perspective. This means the EU’s single largest source of gas has significantly higher greenhouse gas emissions than the coal it is meant to replace.”
More ‘fun’ facts:
“Global methane emissions from the energy sector are about 70% greater than the amount national governments have officially reported, according to new IEA analysis”
“Methane is responsible for around 30% of the rise in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution”
“The energy sector accounts for around 40% of methane emissions from human activity”
While natural gas from the US is ‘cleaner’, it’s still relatively dirty.
Concerns about the climate impact of liquefied natural gas (LNG) are mounting as US shipments to Europe surge in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
www.euractiv.com
Cheniere’s lifecycle emissions tags appear to be pinned to a misleading methane analysis that undercounts leakage volumes.
www.greenpeace.org
And it doesn’t end with mining:
www.science.org
Generally speaking it’s an improvement but it’s a low quality patch on a serious issue that needs to be addressed yesterday. Every part of the already way too small budget should be spent on renewables that help immediately and allow the better companies to develop and grow rather than fill the pockets of fossil fuel dealers.
