Is Natural Gas Clean Energy? What You Should Know

There’s a lot of confusion about the pros and cons of natural gas. While climate scientists urge us to stop burning it and some cities have banned it in new construction, other state lawmakers are pushing to have it officially declared clean or green energy.

So what’s really going on? Is natural gas clean, or do its long-term adverse impacts cancel out the benefits? Part of the confusion comes from marketing campaigns and conflicting definitions for what makes natural gas clean.

Read on to learn about natural gas and clean energy, with insights from experts Paul Arbaje, energy analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists, Diana Gragg, managing director for Explore Energy at Stanford University and Daniel Jacob, professor of atmospheric chemistry and environmental engineering at Harvard University.

What Is Natural Gas and How Is It Used?

Natural gas is a fossil fuel composed mainly of methane, a potent greenhouse gas and one of the major contributors to climate change. About 30% of U.S. energy currently comes from natural gas. Over the course of history, layers of organic matter from ancient marine microorganisms, plant matter and animals have settled on the bottom of lakes and oceans. Over time, geologic forces drove those deposits hundreds of feet below the surface. The pressure compressed, heated and transformed that matter into natural gas.

“In its purest form, gas is colorless and odorless,” says Arbaje. “The reason we’re able to smell gas leaks in and around buildings is due to the odorants that utility companies put into the gas so that we can safely detect leaks and report them.”
Environmental Benefits of Natural Gas

We started using natural gas in homes during the early 1900s, delivered via pipelines. At the time, it was a welcome upgrade from burning coal, which was more expensive, less convenient and less efficient.

Today, natural gas—and in rural areas, its counterpart propane- are the most common energy sources for home furnaces in the U.S. Both also fuel gas ranges, water heaters and clothes dryers. If your utility company relies on gas-fired power plants, your electricity also comes from natural gas. On the upside, in-home natural-gas explosions are rare.

When compared to coal, which was previously used extensively, natural gas burns cleaner and releases fewer pollutants and greenhouse gases into the environment. This change has resulted in better air quality and a decrease in environmental damage. Natural gas is also more energy dense, meaning it produces more heat or power per unit of fuel and hence lower total energy consumption.

The Hidden Risks and Disadvantages of Natural Gas

Is natural gas safe? Not from a health perspective, especially for those who live in apartments and other poorly ventilated homes. Mounting scientific evidence indicates the health risks of burning natural gas for home heating and cooking.

One recent peer-reviewed study attributed 12.7% of childhood asthma cases in the U.S. to gas stoves. Another found 21 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including the known carcinogen benzene in gas leaking from stoves and pipelines in Boston. New evidence supports the health benefits of switching from gas to electric stoves.

Besides being a health hazard in home infrastructure, pollution from gas-fired power plants is concentrated in nearby neighborhoods. These are often communities of color, highlighting the environmental injustices, aka environmental racism, associated with natural gas.

On a more existential level, because natural gas is more than 80 times as powerful as carbon dioxide for trapping heat in the atmosphere, continued use creates unsafe conditions for future generations.

Can Natural Gas Be Part of the Green Energy Transition?

“It depends on what your definitions are,” says Gragg. “While natural gas is the cleanest-burning fossil fuel, burning natural gas still emits carbon dioxide, which contributes to climate change.”
Because natural gas creates less air pollution and produces less carbon dioxide than coal and oil, some tout it as a stepping stone in replacing coal with renewable energy. And since 2007, U.S. carbon dioxide emissions have actually fallen 15%, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

“But it’s nowhere as clean as renewable energy because it still emits CO2,” says Jacob. The full natural gas environmental impact extends beyond CO2 emissions to include methane leakage throughout the supply chain. So leakage needs to be minimized.” Currently, those leaks are substantial.

Recent research shows the greenhouse gas emissions of natural gas may be higher than previously estimated when accounting for the entire production lifecycle. The methane released from oil and gas operations is likely high enough to negate most of the benefits of natural gas. “Natural gas or methane gas, therefore, cannot be described as ‘clean’ in any honest or informed manner,” says Arbaje.

Many experts further point out that no matter how clean natural gas is or isn’t, the only way to stop global warming is to stop the cause. That means no longer burning any fossil fuels, including natural gas.

But public confusion over whether natural gas is clean energy also stems from marketing and social media campaigns that many climate advocates tout as misleading. Those campaigns use slogans like the “world’s clean energy future,” without making clear they’re comparing the benefits of natural gas to coal, not cleaner renewables.

FAQ

Is natural gas cleaner than coal?

Natural gas produces considerably less carbon dioxide than coal or oil and contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Its extensive use within the household for heating, cooking, and hot water heat is not only cost-effective but also fairly safe, with explosions within the home being uncommon, reducing environmental and safety hazards.

Can natural gas be part of decarbonization?

Natural gas can provide short-term decarbonization benefits when used with carbon capture systems, but these systems today trap between 50% and 90% of emissions at high expense. Methane leaks at 3% of U.S. greenhouse gases reduce the climate benefits of natural gas and experts say these leaks need to drop by 75% by 2030. Wind and solar power systems now produce energy more affordably and on a larger scale than natural gas, making them a better option for decarbonization.

What are alternatives to using natural gas for energy?

Natural gas alternatives as a source of energy are electricity generated from clean and renewable energy, such as solar, wind, and hydro, which are sustainable and do not pollute. Geothermal systems and biomass offer efficient heating. Energy-efficient appliances and insulation in homes further decrease the overall demand for energy. These alternatives lead to fewer carbon emissions and a cleaner environment.

About the Experts 

• Paul Arbaje has 12 years of energy consulting experience, where he optimizes natural gas infrastructure. In his role as Lead Analyst at Blue Horizon Energy Solutions, he has led 200 projects in North America and Europe to help clients manage pipeline safety and emissions control while finding efficient supply solutions. 
• Diana Gragg, a core lecturer at Stanford, has 15 years of experience as an environmental scientist who studies the entire life cycle of fossil fuels and their part in moving to clean energy systems. Her position at the Green Futures Institute allows her to lead research groups that compare renewable energy systems to natural gas emissions for greenhouse gas emissions. 
• Daniel J. Jacob is at the forefront of the atmospheric chemistry and environmental engineering discipline at Harvard University. He is the Vasco McCoy Family Professor at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and an active member of the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department.

Sources

• U.S. Energy Information Administration: “Natural gas and the environment.”
• United Nations Environment Programme: “Is natural gas really the bridge fuel the world needs?”
• National Geographic: “Natural gas is a much ‘dirtier’ energy source, carbon-wise, than we thought.”
• Union of Concerned Scientists: “Science for people and the planet”
• Health University of Utah: “Clearing the Air: About Gas Stoves”
• MDPI: “Population Attributable Fraction of Gas Stoves and Childhood Asthma in the United States”
• ACS Publications: “Home is Where the Pipeline Ends: Characterization of Volatile Organic Compounds Present in Natural Gas at the Point of the Residential End User”
• Stanford University: “In Ecuador, emissions and hospitalizations fell ‘in lockstep’ with electric stove adoption”
• Stanford University: “What is Explore Energy?”
• U.S. Energy Information Administration: “U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide fell by 2.8% in 2019, slightly below 2017 levels”
• UNEP ORG.: “International Methane Emissions Observatory”
• Energy and Policy Institute: “Southwest Gas launches a pro-fossil gas social media influencer campaign”
• Energy and Policy Institute: “Utility front groups spending on disinformation advertising”