<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/green-washed-lng-emits-33-more-carbon-that-coal-new-report-finds/>
"One of the world’s leading methane scientists has called out LNG for being a
larger emitter of carbon dioxide (CO₂) than coal – by a whopping 33 per cent
over its life cycle.
The finding flies in the face of LNG advocates who have long claimed the fossil
fuel is cleaner than coal, arguing that if the alternative is to burn more of
the latter then the former deserves a place as a “greener” alternative.
Comparing life cycle emissions over a 20 year period led to a figure of 160 g
CO₂-equivalent/MJ for LNG versus 120 g CO₂-equivalent/MJ for coal. The report’s
author, Dr Robert Howarth from Cornell University, says that is because methane
emissions from the extraction of fossil gas are higher than for coal.
“As a greenhouse gas, methane is more than 80 times more powerful than carbon
dioxide when considered over a 20-year period,” he said in a paper published in
the Energy Science & Engineering journal.
“Clearly, greenhouse gas emissions from LNG must be larger than from the
natural gas from which it is made, because of the energy needed to liquefy the
gas, transport the LNG, and regasify it. The liquefaction process alone is
highly energy-intensive.”
Using GWP20 (Global Warming Potential over 20 years), accounted for the impact
of methane which is more potent but breaks down much faster than carbon
dioxide.
As a result, accounting for the destructive nature of the gas over the time it
is actually in the atmosphere (as opposed to over 100 years, or GWP100, as many
Australian reports use) bumps up the impact of emissions from LNG by about
three times.
“Overall, the greenhouse gas footprint for LNG as a fuel source is 33% greater
than that for coal when analyzed using GWP20,” Haworth wrote.
“Even considered on the time frame of 100 years after emission (GWP100), which
severely understates the climatic damage of methane, the LNG footprint equals
or exceeds that of coal.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
