The Potential Downside of Natural Gas

The natural gas industry suggests that reliance on its fossil fuel rather than coal will reduce carbon dioxide emissions, but the effects are difficult to quantify. A US plan to control carbon emissions at power plants centers on that promise. Natural gas produces fewer emissions than coal, but may not be superior to nuclear energy. Two consequences of replacing nuclear power with natural gas: Economic shipping of gas requires pipelines and proper storage; also, some of the natural gas escapes unburned, releasing methane and more problematic emissions than carbon dioxide. Other less apparent effects include stunting the development of zero-carbon generating stations, like renewable energies and nuclear plants, reports Matthew Wald for the New York Times. US officials are quoted as saying that natural gas could reduce reliance on coal and emissions that include mercury, fine particles and sulfur dioxide. – YaleGlobal