{"id":68200,"date":"2024-07-04T11:44:56","date_gmt":"2024-07-04T09:44:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/?p=68200"},"modified":"2024-07-04T11:45:02","modified_gmt":"2024-07-04T09:45:02","slug":"5-reasons-why-natural-fossil-gas-is-no-better-than-oil-and-coal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/story\/68200\/5-reasons-why-natural-fossil-gas-is-no-better-than-oil-and-coal\/","title":{"rendered":"5 reasons why \u2018natural\u2019 (fossil) gas is no better than oil and coal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Just because natural gas has the word \u2018natural\u2019 in it, doesn\u2019t mean that it is safe for the planet, people and the climate. Let\u2019s bust the myth: natural gas = fossil gas<\/strong>. <\/strong>Fossil gas is a dirty fossil fuel just like oil and coal. And just like any other fossil fuel, it puts our safety at risk. Here is why\u2026<\/p>\n\n

\"Protest
Greenpeace activists at a protest march on March, 27th 2024 against the Gas Industry in Vienna.
\u00a9 Rafael Bittermann \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

1. Fossil gas is a massive contributor to the climate crisis<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

Fossil gas consists mainly of methane, a greenhouse gas 84 times<\/a> more powerful than CO2<\/sub> over a 20-year period. When burned to produce energy, fossil gas emits CO2<\/sub> – another greenhouse gas that drives climate chaos. Gas is already responsible for 22%<\/a> of global greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion. <\/p>\n\n

To add to that, fossil gas is prone to leakage: methane leaks from wells, pipelines, LNG tankers and terminals or refineries are so common and massive that scientists say they pose “a grave threat to humanity<\/a>“. Taking into account methane leaks, research has even concluded that fossil gas could be just as bad for the climate as coal, and sometimes even worse<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

\"Investigation
Activists on board the Greenpeace ship Esperanza documented two large methane leaks located in the North Sea. Caused by a major blow-out incident during a gas drilling operation 30 years ago, the leak is still emitting the highly potent greenhouse gas methane.
\u00a9 Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

2. Fossil gas drives inequality, violence and conflicts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

While the energy industry made record profits<\/a> from the massive rise in gas prices in 2022, citizens around the world suffered much higher costs for heating and electricity, and persistent inflation<\/a> that pushed up the prices of basic goods and services. High and volatile gas prices, especially when combined with inadequate housing, trap people in poverty<\/a> and energy poverty<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Gas also fuels conflicts<\/a>, giving geopolitical advantages to resource-rich countries at the expense of nations that need gas imports. And fossil fuel extraction is responsible for tremendous social impacts<\/a> and human rights violations<\/a> in Global Majority countries and regions belonging to Indigenous Peoples, and can be linked to<\/a> violence, corruption<\/a> or resettlement and displacement of people by force. <\/p>\n\n

\"Pumpjacks
Activist and actor Jane Fonda visits the Permian Basin with Methane Hunters Sharon Wilson and Miguel Escoto. The group visited sights in the Permian Basin area and looked at leaking methane facilities.
\u00a9 Tim Aubry \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

3. Fossil gas extraction infrastructure destroys entire areas and its inhabitants<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

Gas exploration and gas infrastructure such as platforms, pipelines, LNG terminals or refineries are particularly damaging to nature<\/a>: deforestation, release of harmful pollutants, pollution of soil, wetlands or seabeds, noise from seismic surveys that endanger whales and dolphins<\/a>\u2026 These devastating impacts obviously exacerbate the biodiversity crisis, but also the climate crisis even further by damaging already fragile ecosystems<\/a> that would otherwise store CO2<\/sub>.<\/p>\n\n

Not to mention fracking<\/a>, a controversial method of extracting gas that is particularly polluting and harmful, possibly leading<\/a> to low birth weights, asthma, lymphoma and other diseases.<\/p>\n\n

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