{"id":58830,"date":"2024-09-25T11:18:48","date_gmt":"2024-09-25T03:18:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/?p=58830"},"modified":"2025-03-21T13:54:11","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T05:54:11","slug":"5-reasons-why-natural-fossil-gas-is-no-better-than-oil-and-coal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/resource\/58830\/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<\/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\u00a084 times<\/a>\u00a0more powerful than CO2<\/sub>\u00a0over a 20-year period. When burned to produce energy, fossil gas emits CO2<\/sub>\u00a0\u2013 another greenhouse gas that drives climate chaos. Gas is already responsible for\u00a022%<\/a>\u00a0of global greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion.\u00a0<\/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 \u201ca grave threat to humanity<\/a>\u201c. Taking into account methane leaks, research has even concluded that fossil gas\u00a0could 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<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

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

While the energy industry made\u00a0record profits<\/a>\u00a0from the massive rise in gas prices in 2022, citizens around the world suffered much higher costs for heating and electricity, and\u00a0persistent inflation<\/a>\u00a0that pushed up the prices of basic goods and services. High and volatile gas prices, especially when combined with inadequate housing, trap people in\u00a0poverty<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0energy poverty<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Gas also fuels\u00a0conflicts<\/a>, giving geopolitical advantages to resource-rich countries at the expense of nations that need gas imports. And fossil fuel extraction is responsible for\u00a0tremendous social impacts<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0human rights violations<\/a>\u00a0in Global Majority countries and regions belonging to Indigenous Peoples, and can be\u00a0linked to<\/a>\u00a0violence,\u00a0corruption<\/a>\u00a0or resettlement and displacement of people by force.\u00a0<\/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<\/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\u00a0damaging to nature<\/a>: deforestation, release of harmful pollutants, pollution of soil, wetlands or seabeds, noise from seismic surveys that endanger\u00a0whales and dolphins<\/a>\u2026 These devastating impacts obviously exacerbate the biodiversity crisis, but also the climate crisis even further by damaging already\u00a0fragile ecosystems<\/a>\u00a0that would otherwise store CO2<\/sub>.<\/p>\n\n

Not to mention\u00a0fracking<\/a>, a controversial method of extracting gas that is particularly polluting and harmful,\u00a0possibly leading<\/a>\u00a0to low birth weights, asthma, lymphoma and other diseases.Play<\/p>\n\n

4. Fossil gas pollution is responsible for deaths and diseases<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

Burning fossil gas emits nitrogen oxides (NOx) and other toxins responsible for air pollution. Exposure to elevated levels of these pollutants can lead to\u00a0adverse health effects<\/a>, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. Recent estimates put the number of deaths from fossil fuel air pollution at\u00a05 million per year<\/a>. At home,\u00a0recent studies<\/a>\u00a0suggest that gas stoves put people at greater risk of respiratory disease than previously thought.<\/p>\n\n

Fossil-fuelled global warming also causes death and disease. An\u00a0estimated<\/a>\u00a0360,000 people could die prematurely before the end of the century as a result of extreme temperatures due to global warming caused by the greenhouse gas emissions of nine major European oil and gas companies in 2022 alone.<\/p>\n\n

\"Gas
People protest before a public meeting of South Coast Air Quality Management District Hearing Board to consider a proposed abatement order on a massive methane leak at the Aliso Canyon Storage Facility. \u00a9 David McNew \/ Greenpeace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

5. Fossil gas is an intrinsically dangerous business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

Explosions, fires and earthquakes are common events in the gas business, at every step of the supply chain.\u00a0In the US<\/a>, a gas pipeline accident occurs every 40 hours. History is littered with disasters such as\u00a0San Juanico<\/a>\u00a0in Mexico, or\u00a0Ufa<\/a>\u00a0in the former Soviet Union.<\/p>\n\n

More recently, the Netherlands has\u00a0shut down<\/a>\u00a0an onshore gas field for the safety of the local population: chronic earthquakes caused by the field were damaging thousands of homes and buildings.<\/p>\n\n

\"StopLNG
A group of StopLNG frontline people come to Washington, D.C. to have their voices heard on the LNG permit pause and their real demands for a permanent ban and a plan to shut down existing fossil fuel operations. \u00a9 Tim Aubry \/ Greenpeace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Let\u2019s phase out fossil gas and fossil fuels<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

Today, fossil gas accounts for almost a quarter of all\u00a0energy consumption worldwide<\/a>. It is mainly used for cooking, heating buildings, power generation and in the industrial sector. Despite what\u00a0fossil fuels companies<\/a>\u00a0would have us believe, gas puts our safety at risk by driving inequalities and violence, fuelling\u00a0climate chaos<\/a>, increasing\u00a0health problems<\/a>\u00a0and accidents, destroying our precious\u00a0biodiversity<\/a>\u00a0and polluting our environment.<\/p>\n\n

But the good news is:\u00a0100% renewable energy systems<\/a>\u00a0exist and work. Gas can be phased out by replacing it with renewables through electrification,\u00a0reducing overall energy demand<\/a>\u00a0through efficiency and sufficiency, and developing\u00a0energy storage and demand flexibility<\/a>. It\u2019s time to speed up the transition. It is a matter of safety and justice for present and future generations.<\/p>\n\n

Lisa G\u00f6ldner is the Lead Campaigner of Greenpeace\u2019s Fossil Free Future, based in Germany.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":58917,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"","p4_local_project":"","p4_basket_name":"","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[131,134],"tags":[86,108],"p4-page-type":[99],"class_list":["post-58830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate-and-pollution","category-educational-resource","tag-energy","tag-human-rights","p4-page-type-resource"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58830"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58830\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58918,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58830\/revisions\/58918"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58830"},{"taxonomy":"p4-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/p4-page-type?post=58830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}