Natural gas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Natural gas - Essay Example ) published a World Energy Outlook report in the year 2011 in which, the production of natural gas was estimated to increase by 50 per cent over the next two and a half decades. The report said, â€Å"Natural gas displaces coal and to a lesser extent oil, driving down emissions, but it also displaces some nuclear power, pushing up emissions. This puts emissions on a long-term trajectory consistent with stabilizing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at around 650 parts per million CO2 equivalent, suggesting a long-term temperature rise of over 3.5 [degrees Celsius]† (â€Å"Gas is not†). While a range of opinions exist for and against natural gas, it is overall a good source of energy. Natural gas is a good source of energy not only because it is in abundance in the US, but also because it can be transported affordably. Natural gas is a clean energy alternative because the process of its burning is cleaner compared to other fossil fuels. While burning, natural gas does not emit high amount of such harmful emissions as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, or carbon monoxide. Burning of natural gas also does not produce any particulates or ash. Although natural gas is not as clean as solar energy or wind energy, yet it can be considered as a stop-gap energy alternative because of its cost-effectiveness, abundance, and simplicity of use while the society transits to other sources of energy. The amount of carbon released into the atmosphere by natural gas is half as much as the amount that is released as a result of burning of coal. The US provides evidence of a success story as emissions declined to a 20-year low in the start of the year 2012. Although the decline in emiss ions can also be attributed to certain other factors like a shift to renewables and energy efficiency, the decline was at least, in part, because of a transition from the burning of coal to the use of shale gas. Similarly, â€Å"In countries like  Poland  and  China  where there is heavy