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Natural gas is often considered a cleaner energy source, but could it still negatively impact the environment? Explore these scientific images on green energy!
iStockphoto/ThinkstockIf you've ever lived in or visited a large urban area, you've likely seen buses that advertise running on clean natural gas. For a long time, natural gas was believed to be one of the most eco-friendly fossil fuels. However, recent studies suggest it may be even more damaging to the ozone layer than coal, which is already notorious for its harmful emissions. To understand this, we first need to grasp how natural gas functions.
The Geological Process
Natural gas is created over millennia as decomposing plants and animals become trapped beneath layers of rock. With intense pressure and heat, this organic matter begins to break down gradually. Over time, the energy within the organic material transforms into carbon. The end result is one of three energy sources: coal, petroleum, or natural gas. Historically regarded as the cleanest of the three, natural gas primarily consists of methane and exists as an odorless gas trapped between shale formations.
In the United States, natural gas accounts for nearly 25 percent of energy consumption. It is predominantly used in homes for heating and to power certain gas appliances. Additionally, it can replace petroleum in fueling vehicles. The main byproducts of natural gas combustion are carbon dioxide and water vapor, making it a very clean energy source compared to coal and petroleum, which produce higher carbon dioxide emissions along with other harmful byproducts.
CO2 in the Atmosphere
Burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas releases various gases into the atmosphere, primarily carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. These gases also occur naturally in the Earth's atmosphere, where they help trap heat. However, scientists believe that the combustion of fossil fuels is leading to an increase in these gases, which contributes to global warming and other harmful environmental effects.
Although burning natural gas generates carbon dioxide, it produces around 30 percent less than oil and 45 percent less than coal. Additionally, natural gas does not release ash particles like coal and oil, which contribute to air pollution. While it has a smaller impact on global warming per unit compared to other greenhouse gases, natural gas is by far the most abundant greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, and efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions focus on addressing the greenhouse effect.
Fracking and Methane
Although natural gas is often considered less damaging to the ozone layer compared to other fossil fuels, recent research challenges this notion. The harmful effects of natural gas start even before it reaches the pipelines. The main issue lies in the extraction process known as ‘fracking.’ Hydraulic fracturing involves injecting high-pressure water to crack the shale rocks and release the trapped gas.
The fracking process inadvertently releases small amounts of methane directly into the atmosphere. Methane is far more dangerous to the environment than carbon dioxide due to its potent warming effect on the Earth. Despite methane breaking down relatively quickly and not remaining a heat source for as long as carbon dioxide, which can linger in the atmosphere for hundreds of thousands of years, methane is still considered the more harmful of the two.
Clean Energy?
Is natural gas truly the clean energy solution? It’s difficult to say for certain, as the research revealing its adverse effects hasn't yet been conducted over a long enough period to produce definitive conclusions that both sides of the debate can agree on. However, these studies have sparked the need for further exploration. Until then, regardless of the energy source, conserving energy remains the wisest approach.
