IEA Warning Against Natural Gas as the Sole Solution

The International Energy Association (IEA) has issued a statement that natural gas is not a ‘panacea’ in solving climate change. The IEA’s executive director Nobuo Tanaka, stated in a press conference in London, "While natural gas is the cleanest fossil fuel, it is still a fossil fuel. Its increased use could muscle out low-carbon fuels such as renewables and nuclear, particularly in the wake of Fukushima. An expansion of gas use alone is no panacea for climate change."

However the IEA report is purely stating the fact that if we continue to use carbon emitting technology in generating energy then instead of carbon free generation (i.e. renewable and nuclear) then global warming will continue to happen, which while maybe worthy as a statement the value of the research may be overrated.

Natural gas has been the reason for significant reductions in carbon emissions in the UK and similarly for various other countries, however this research points out the obvious in that while it produces half the carbon of burning coal it still produces carbon. You must also look upon the fact that it is a fossil fuel with a finite amount available and with possibly unsustainable and even harmful extraction methods. This can be seen with shale gas extraction; where shale gas extraction will become more prominent as conventional natural gas reserves run low.

If we take a brief look at shale gas and its extraction methods we can see that this particular method of sourcing natural gas and its use can possibly lead to the release of more green houses gases, methane in particular, than other fossil fuels; a view expressed in the US EPA report into the emission factors for greenhouse gas emissions by the oil and gas industry in 2010, http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/downloads10/Subpart-W_TSD.pdf. The report concluded that shale gas emits much larger amounts of methane that conventional natural gas.

If we also look at recent extraction attempts in the UK shale gas extraction/fracking has been linked to frequent earthquakes, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/small-earthquake-in-blackpool-major-shock-for-uks-energy-policy-2291597.html. It must also be noted that the pollution caused by the chemicals used in extraction will have a negative environmental impact.

With significant potential environmental implications, a finite quantity and the fact that it still emits greenhouse gases then surely natural gas is only a short term solution to the long term problem of climate change.