On October 8, 2015, the
Cornell University’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology released a study
entitled “Methane emissions and climatic warming risk from hydraulic fracturing
and shale gas development: implications for policy” published in the Dove Press
Journal. The study examines the consequences of unconventional natural gas
production as to its greenhouse gas emissions footprint.
The study analyzed the
impact of differences between methane and carbon dioxide emissions from shale
gas development into the atmosphere. Despite emitting less carbon dioxide than oil
or coal, the author observed that this cannot compensate for the fact that
natural gas production emits a significant level of methane, “a greenhouse gas
that on a mass-to-mass basis is > 100 times
more powerful than carbon dioxide as an agent of global warming for the time
when both gases persist in the atmosphere.”
The
study opined that switching from coal or oil to natural gas to reduce climate
change impacts and global warming should not be perceived “as a bridge fuel
that will allow society to continue to use fossil fuels over the coming decades
while reducing carbon emissions.”
The author
concluded that “[the] understanding of emission sources remains uncertain, with
the study of shale gas methane emissions commencing only in the past few
years[, and a]dequate regulation to reduce emissions requires better knowledge
of sources, as well as better oversight and enforcement.”
Written by Chloe Marie - Research Fellow
11/05/2015
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