Natural Gas: Not Natural and Not a Climate Solution
The Unnatural Process of Fracking
The term “natural gas” is a misleading misnomer perpetuated by fossil fuel companies. In reality, most natural gas is extracted through fracking—a highly unnatural, water-intensive, and polluting process.​
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Since 2011, fracking operations have increased their water usage sevenfold due to new techniques that drill downward and horizontally for thousands of feet. While these methods allow for greater fossil fuel extraction, they require enormous amounts of water. The wastewater generated is heavily contaminated with petrochemicals, salts, additives, and other toxic substances, making it unsafe for release back into the environment. Most of this wastewater is injected deep underground into disposal wells, permanently removing it from the water cycle. Alarmingly, some of this contaminated water can leak into and pollute groundwater supplies due to spills, blowouts, or well failures.
Fracking’s dangers don’t stop there. Scientists have linked fracking operations to serious health risks for nearby communities, including an increased risk of leukemia in young children, low birth weight and preterm births, childhood asthma, and premature deaths among older adults. Fracking and the disposal of its wastewater have also been connected to seismic activity, with earthquakes documented across several states. For instance, a 2018 fracking-related earthquake in Texas registered a 4.0 magnitude, the largest of its kind recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey.​
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Given these environmental, health, and safety concerns, strong public opposition has led five states—California, Maryland, New York, Vermont, and Washington—to enact fracking bans, while Oregon and Massachusetts have imposed moratoriums.
The Climate Perspective
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From a climate standpoint, natural gas is not the clean energy solution it’s often made out to be. While burning natural gas produces roughly half the carbon dioxide of coal, it still emits significant amounts of CO2—dangerous in light of our rapidly shrinking carbon budget.
More concerning, the primary component of natural gas—methane—makes up 75-95% of its composition. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is 80 times more powerful than CO2 over a 20-year period, making it a major driver of climate change in the short term.
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Between 2012 and 2018, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) led a groundbreaking study with over 140 researchers from 40 institutions to measure methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. Their findings were alarming: methane emissions were 60% higher than estimates from the EPA and the industry itself. Domestic oil and gas operations were leaking methane at a rate of 2.3% of total production annually.
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Even small leaks can have catastrophic effects. A peer-reviewed study published in July 2023 by researchers from Brown, Harvard, Duke, NASA, and the Rocky Mountain Institute found that as little as 0.2% of leaked methane makes natural gas as damaging to the climate as coal. Unfortunately, methane leakage occurs at every stage—from drilling sites and processing plants to the pipelines delivering gas to homes.
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A Stanford study from 2022 revealed that natural gas stoves alone emit 0.8-1.3% of their gas as unburned methane, with 75% of this leakage happening when the stove is turned off. The problem is compounded by “super emitter” events, such as the 2018 Ohio gas well leak that, in just 20 days, released more methane than some European countries emit in an entire year.
A Missed Opportunity
​Natural gas could have served as a transitional fuel if serious climate action had been taken 35 years ago. Because methane has a much shorter atmospheric lifespan than CO2, natural gas could have been a bridge fuel despite moderate leakage rates. But today, with the climate crisis in full swing, the situation has become dire.
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The IPCC’s most recent assessment in March 2023 warns that continued inaction on greenhouse gas emissions will push us past the critical 1.5°C threshold within the next decade. Current reliance on natural gas—given methane’s potency—would be a major contributor to this dangerous tipping point.​
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The Path Forward
Reducing methane emissions offers hope. Over 155 countries have signed the Global Methane Pledge, aiming to cut methane emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030. But pledges alone won’t be enough. We must not only reduce methane leaks but also significantly reduce our overall use of natural gas.
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In scenarios that limit warming to 1.5°C, the IPCC demonstrates that the global use of natural gas must decline by 60% by 2050, compared to 2019 levels. If carbon capture and storage (CCS) is applied this reduction level can be reduced to 45%, but CCS technology is very expensive, under tested and underdeveloped, and cannot fully mitigate the emissions and environmental impacts associated with natural gas extraction and transport.
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Despite this, companies like Georgia Power continue to promote natural gas as a clean energy solution. Most concerning is how this narrative is being marketed directly to utility regulators. In November 2022, Georgia Power’s CEO, Kim Greene, participated on a panel that served as the centerpiece event at the annual meeting of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC). Her remarks emphasized that “natural gas is foundational to America’s clean energy future.”
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​During the conference, at least half a dozen sessions praised natural gas, with few, if any, panelists acknowledging that continuing to burn natural gas will exacerbate climate change, even if methane leaks are reduced. Adding to this troubling dynamic, regulators attending the conference were treated to free drinks and entertainment at a party sponsored by the American Gas Association (AGA). Throughout the event, TV screens displayed an AGA presentation extolling the benefits of natural gas.
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The Bottom Line
​We are in a climate emergency. Methane emissions must be reduced urgently, and the transition away from natural gas must accelerate. The industry’s misleading portrayal of natural gas as a clean energy solution is delaying the action we so desperately need. Our future depends on cutting through the misinformation and prioritizing bold, science-based decisions.
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Sources for this article:
1.https://grist.org/regulation/how-the-naural-gas-industry-cozies-up-to-public-utility-commissioners/
2. https://www.eenews.net/articles/southeast-utilities-have-a-very-big-ask-more-gas/
3.https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/09/25/climate/fracking-oil-gas-wells-water.html
4.https://www.nrdc.org/bio/amy-mall/latest-fracking-science-finds-more-serious-health-risks