Gas from fracking damages climate more than coal, says study
Cornell University researchers have found that natural gas produced by hydraulic fracturing creates more damaging greenhouse gas emissions than coal. Methane leaks from hydraulic fracturing operations have not been taken into account by those promoting natural gas as a less-polluting “bridge fuel” Robert W. Howarth, Renee Santoro, and Anthony Ingraffea write in an article slated to run in an upcoming edition of the journal Climatic Change
Jul 31, 2020719.4K Shares11.9M Views
Cornell University researchers have found that natural gas produced by hydraulic fracturing creates more damaging greenhouse gas emissions than coal.
Methane leaks from hydraulic fracturing operations have not been taken into account by those promoting natural gas as a less-polluting “bridge fuel” Robert W. Howarth, Renee Santoro, and Anthony Ingraffea write in an articleslated to run in an upcoming edition of the journal Climatic Change.
“„Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, with a global warming potential that is far greater than that of carbon dioxide, particularly over the time horizon of the first few decades following emission. Methane contributes substantially to the greenhouse gas footprint of shale gas on shorter time scales, dominating it on a 20-year time horizon. The footprint for shale gas is greater than that for conventional gas or oil when viewed on any time horizon, but particularly so over 20 years. Compared to coal, the footprint of shale gas is at least 20% greater and perhaps more than twice as great on the 20-year horizon and is comparable when compared over 100 years.
The Hillreports that the Obama administration is promoting natural gas as a clean and domestically available fuel.
“„The Energy Information Administration – which is the Energy Department’s statistical arm – estimates that shale gas will account for 45 percent of total U.S. gas supply in 2035, up from 14 percent in 2009.
Paolo Reyna
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Paolo Reyna is a writer and storyteller with a wide range of interests. He graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Media Studies.
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