The False Promise of Natural Gas

Gas is not clean. It is not safe. It is DEFINITELY not renewable. Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, Dr. Howard Frumkin, and Dr. Brita E. Lundberg published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine about the dangers of natural gas.

You can read their full article — The False Promise of Natural Gas — here.

Excerpt": “Natural gas, composed principally of methane, has been hailed as a clean “transition” fuel — a bridge from the coal and oil of the past to the clean energy sources of the future. This claim is partially true. Gas combustion produces only negligible quantities of sulfur dioxide, mercury, and particulates. It is thus less polluting than combustion of coal or oil, and this benefits health.2 Gas combustion also generates less carbon dioxide per unit of energy than combustion of coal or oil.

But beneath this rosy narrative lies a more complex story. Gas is associated with health and environmental hazards and reduced social welfare at every stage of its life cycle.2 Fracking is linked to contamination of ground and surface water, air pollution, noise and light pollution, radiation releases, ecosystem damage, and earthquakes (see table). Transmission and storage of gas result in fires and explosions. The pipeline network is aging, inadequately maintained, and infrequently inspected. One or more pipeline explosions occur every year in the United States. In September 2018, a series of pipeline explosions in the Merrimack Valley in Massachusetts caused more than 80 fires and explosions, damaged 131 homes, forced the evacuation of 30,000 people, injured 25 people, including two firefighters, and killed an 18-year-old boy. Gas compressor stations emit toxic and carcinogenic chemicals such as benzene, 1,3-butadiene, and formaldehyde. Wells, pipelines, and compressor stations are disproportionately located in low-income, minority, and marginalized communities, where they may leak gas, generate noise, endanger health, and contribute to environmental injustice while producing no local benefits. Gas combustion generates oxides of nitrogen that increase asthma risk and aggravate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.”