James P Chance Howarth’s Post

Exported gas emits far more greenhouse gas emissions than coal, despite fossil-fuel industry claims it is a cleaner alternative, according to a major new research paper that challenges the controversial yet rapid expansion of gas exports from the US to Europe and Asia. Coal is the dirtiest of fossil fuels when combusted for energy, with oil and gas producers for years promoting cleaner-burning gas as a “bridge” fuel and even a “climate solution” amid a glut of new liquefied natural gas (or LNG) terminals, primarily in the US. But the research, which itself has become enmeshed in a political argument in the US, has concluded that LNG is 33% worse in terms of planet-heating emissions over a 20-year period compared with coal. “The idea that coal is worse for the climate is mistaken – LNG has a larger greenhouse gas footprint than any other fuel,” said Robert Howarth, an environmental scientist at Cornell University and author of the new paper. "To think we should be shipping around this gas as a climate solution is just plain wrong. It’s greenwashing from oil and gas companies that has severely underestimated the emissions from this type of energy.” Read media coverage of the study here: https://lnkd.in/e6pS8VHr Read the peer-reviewed research in the Energy Science & Engineering Journal here: https://lnkd.in/gvApYcrt

"A Generational Opportunity: Achieving U.S. Dominance in Global LNG," Tristan Abbey, Senior Fellow, National Center for Energy Analytics, 10/24: "There is no end in sight to the developing global LNG market, though political opposition to natural gas production, consumption, and exports could bring an end to U.S. dominance. Projections of greater electrification and industrialization around the world entail greater consumption of natural gas as a practical necessity. That gas will be supplied by somebody. "Unfortunately, the Biden administration’s 'pause' of the most important category of LNG export authorizations during an election year is only the latest move that increases the political risk borne by potential investors in American energy. As the energy transition begins to suffer cracks while it faces economic and geopolitical realities, that political risk could intensify rather than relax. This report identifies three pathways to reform, none of which is mutually exclusive. ⬤ As a first-order move, the export pause should be reversed as soon as possible. ⬤ Second-order considerations may include revising DOE’s export authorization process to forestall future pauses or similar obstructive tactics, and could even remove the requirement to authorize the export of natural gas as a commodity while retaining FERC’s environmental responsibilities. ⬤ Full-scale reform, both the most meaningful and the most difficult path, would establish FERC as a truly independent commission and limit its NEPA analysis to a review of the facility itself, rather than the more speculative exercises involving downstream and upstream greenhouse gas impacts. As policymakers increasingly explore the possibilities of industrial policy, these pathways to reform must be part of that discussion. Exports are not more desirable per se than industrial consumption, and a key question is why the latter has not kept pace with the former." REPORT LINK: https://lnkd.in/gW5xvNcK #energy #energyindustry #oil #oilindustry #oilgas #oilandgas #natgas #naturalgas #energystrong #shale #shaleoil #shalegas #hydrocarbons #haynesville #eagleford #stack #scoop #permian #permianbasin #delawarebasin #powderriverbasin #marcellus #uticashale #bakken #lng #woodford #woodfordshale #WTI #oilprice #trade #texas #texaseconomy #exports #commodities #CorpusChristi #CorpusChristiTX

It doesn't sound #sustainable when #countries like #Britain, #Germany, .. are wealthy in their #coal #reserves spend millions to import #liquid #natural #gas. Coal fired #plants are more #economical with locally produced coal and there are adequate flue gas #treatment #systems available. https://lnkd.in/ePjwHsuQ

Exported gas produces far worse emissions than coal, major study finds Research challenges idea that sending liquefied natural gas around the world is cleaner alternative to burning coal Exported gas produces far worse emissions than coal, major study finds Research challenges idea that sending liquefied natural gas around the world is cleaner alternative to burning coal Exported gas emits far more greenhouse gas emissions than coal, despite fossil-fuel industry claims it is a cleaner alternative, according to a major new research paper that challenges the controversial yet rapid expansion of gas exports from the US to Europe and Asia. Coal is the dirtiest of fossil fuels when combusted for energy, with oil and gas producers for years promoting cleaner-burning gas as a “bridge” fuel and even a “climate solution” amid a glut of new liquefied natural gas (or LNG) terminals, primarily in the US. But the research, which itself has become enmeshed in a political argument in the US, has concluded that LNG is 33% worse in terms of planet-heating emissions over a 20-year period compared with coal. “The idea that coal is worse for the climate is mistaken – LNG has a larger greenhouse gas footprint than any other fuel,” said Robert Howarth, an environmental scientist at Cornell University and author of the new paper. “To think we should be shipping around this gas as a climate solution is just plain wrong. It’s greenwashing from oil and gas companies that has severely underestimated the emissions from this type of energy.” Drilling, moving, cooling and shipping gas from one country to another uses so much energy that the actual final burning of gas in people’s homes and businesses only accounts for about a third of the total emissions from this process, the research finds. The large resulting emissions mean there is “no need for LNG as an interim energy source”, the paper says, adding that “ending the use of LNG should be a global priority”. The peer-reviewed research, published on Thursday in the Energy Science & Engineering journal, challenges the rationale for a huge surge in LNG facilities along the US Gulf coast, in order to send gas in huge tankers to overseas markets. The US is the world’s leading LNG exporter, followed by Australia and Qatar. Previous government and industry estimates have assumed that LNG is considerably lower emitting than coal, offering the promise that it could replace it in countries such as China, as well as aiding European allies menaced by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, a major gas producer. “US LNG exports can help accelerate environmental progress across the globe, enabling nations to transition to cleaner natural gas to reduce emissions and address the global risks of climate change,” Dustin Meyer, director of market development at the American Petroleum Institute, has said. https://lnkd.in/gvpmSKpt

➡️LNG imported from the US to Europe & Asia is up to a third more #emissions intensive than #coal, a new study says. ➡️While burning coal produces higher CO2 emissions, the #methane emissions from LNG can more than make up for the gap, the study adds. https://lnkd.in/gjpGgczq

Study reveals achievable pathway to net-zero in Pilbara-to-Asia export trade through LNG bunker fuel RINA completed a joint study with Pilbara Clean Fuels Pty Ltd and Oceania Marine Energy revealing that Well-to-Wake emissions in Pilbara-to-Asia iron ore export trade route can be reduced by over 90% by 2050 through use of LNG. https://lnkd.in/getTi2fh #bunkers #bunkering #maritime #shipping #marinefuel #marinefuels #bunkerindustry #bunkerfuel #imo2030 #imo2050 #sustainable #decarbonisation #decarbonization #marine #emissions #zeroemission #zeroemissions #alternativefuel #alternativefuels #maritimenews #maritimeindustry #maritimetransport #maritimesector  #maritimeservices #shippingnews #shippingindustry #shipsandshipping #shippingworldwide #lng #lngindustry #lngshipping #lngbunkering #pilbara #ironore #australia #asia

  https://lnkd.in/gMBTWaG7 But the research, which itself has become enmeshed in a political argument in the US, has concluded that LNG is 33% worse in terms of planet-heating emissions over a 20-year period compared with coal. Drilling, moving, cooling and shipping gas from one country to another uses so much energy that the actual final burning of gas in people’s homes and businesses only accounts for about a third of the total emissions from this process, the research finds. The large resulting emissions mean there is “no need for LNG as an interim energy source”, the paper says, adding that “ending the use of LNG should be a global priority”.   Blog – Natural Gas and Oil – September 2024 - https://lnkd.in/gt2rcAMA Here are my concerns with this article by Robert Horwath at Cornell University No mention environmental, biodiversity, and human rights issues with lithium - https://lnkd.in/g33fjGcy Hydro projects have their own challenges - https://lnkd.in/g8pC9QUM Solar and wind challenges - https://lnkd.in/g3mJ6gfP Viability of VPP - https://lnkd.in/gxQ6-Wju Viability of hydrogen - https://lnkd.in/gJXp888E

Some news out of the US that's of relevance for Australia given our exposure to gas export markets. We often hear that gas makes sense as a transition fuel to help certain countries or sectors get off even dirtier coal, and that there is high demand particularly from Asia which we should meet or somebody else will. As well as social licence, the obvious response is that we should jump straight to cleaner, cheaper and unlimited renewables to cut out the middle man and mitigate climate risks, particularly stranded asset risk. However, this analysis finds that LNG is in fact MORE emissions intensive than coal due to the additional energy demands of each step to process and transport it, and methane leakage. This further weakens any arguments to switch to gas in the short-medium term and has apparently already resulted in a pause to gas infrastructure development in the US. I'd be interested to see these numbers run for Australian gas exports, given our transport distances are so great and the biggest user of gas in Australia is... the Australian gas industry for its processing. https://lnkd.in/gdTGGiwq

Climate change is a global issue to be solved, not a national political opportunity. National carbon taxes have no impact on global emissions. However, if Canada was really serious about reducing global emissions beyond Canada's 1.6% it would focus on the export of inexpensive cleaner than coal CDN energy in the form of SK uranium, ON CANDU & BC/AB LNG. This coupled with a new philosophy that eliminates the emissions from the use of oil and gas, not the elimination of the oil and gas industry itself. A concrete example of this philosophy is the work of energy innovator Rodney Allam who developed NET Power which uses natural gas to deliver 0 emission electricity and 8RH2 which uses natural gas to produce emission free hydrogen/ammonia. It's global emission reduction, stupid, not national carbon taxes!

For years, it has been article of faith that LNG was a relatively cleaner transition fuel for coal-dependent countries. A new peer-reviewed study from #RobertHowarth of #CornellUniversity finds that LNG in fact has a larger greenhouse gas footprint than coal or any other fuel when you account for the drilling, transportation, cooling and shipping involved. The actual final burning of gas in people’s homes and businesses accounts for only about a third of the total emissions from the entire process, https://lnkd.in/eb9aiRkn?