Natural gas is an environmentally friendly energy product. It is the cleanest fossil fuel, as it releases fewer emissions of CO2 than other fossil fuels, and contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.
Natural gas has a number of environmental advantages over other fossil fuels. It contains fewer impurities such as sulphur, nitrogen and dust particles. As the main element of natural gas, methane is the hydrocarbon with the lowest carbon content. Thus when burned, natural gas releases 25% fewer CO2 emissions than heating oil and close to 45% fewer emissions than coal.
Other environmental arguments for the use of natural gas include its environmentally friendly transmission via underground pipelines and the fact that the production of natural gas does not require the complex process of refining.
The world today is striving to reduce carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, the objective of the Kyoto Protocol. The European Union has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020. The expanded use of natural gas a “green energy product” could contribute significantly to the achievement of environmental objectives.
