Climate change and natural gas - a realistic assessment

In an abridged version of a paper given at the 19th World Gas Conference in Milan in June 1993, the author argues against becoming too dependent on gas despite its association with lower carbon dioxide emissions than other fossil fuels, especially coal. He argues that continued use of cost-effective and environmentally responsible use of fossil fuels, will not perturb the global climate system and the natural carbon cycle unduly. Environmental lobbyists will, it is thought, campaign against natural gas use because of its carbon content and association with methane emissions, a much more serious greenhouse gas hazard. It is suggested that natural gas's other inherent advantages will counter the anti-growth campaign. These are identified as a much larger resource base than oil, less conventional pollutant emissions than other fossil fuels and much lower investment costs and higher power generation efficiencies than even clean coal-fired technologies. (UK)