This article explains the climate impacts of natural gas as an energy source, focusing on the warming potential of methane and the frequency of methane leaks. This article explains that, even though natural gas has been touted for reducing carbon emissions, the impact of methane on the climate makes natural gas an unviable climate solution. It is important to look at the longevity of solutions when we are evaluating them to avoid causing more problems, and students will benefit from the general message of thinking long-term. Students can practice online media decoding and get more information about natural gas with the lesson plan, Natural Gas: Water & Climate Impacts. Alternatively, students can get a wide view of all nonrenewable energy sources with the video Nonrenewable Energy Resources.
Written By: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative
The MIT Climate Change Engagement Program, a part of MIT Climate HQ, provides the public with nonpartisan, easy-to-understand, and scientifically-grounded information on climate change and its solutions.
In the last 15 years, the United States has seen a dramatic rise in production and use of natural gas. Between 2005 and 2022, domestic production of “dry” gas (the very methane-rich natural gas used for energy) almost doubled to over 35 trillion cubic feet per year. During that same period, natural gas eclipsed coal as the largest source of U.S. electricity; in 2022, gas accounted for nearly 40 percent of our electricity generation.
This switch from coal to gas has often been credited for a big drop in America’s climate-warming carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Coal and natural gas both produce CO2 when burned, but coal produces over twice as much CO2 for every kilowatt-hour of electricity it produces. From 2005 to 2019, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 65 percent of the fall in emissions from the U.S. electricity sector can be attributed to natural gas replacing coal-fired power plants.
But recent research suggests those emissions reductions are inflated, thanks to another, more potent greenhouse gas associated with natural gas: methane.
