Is Natural Gas the Answer to all our Problems?

Although on the outside it may seem as though natural gas is the answer to all our problems, things may not be so simple. There certainly are many benefits pushing us towards the use of natural gas but one must question whether it is really worth it.

           

Some benefits include the extremely abundant supply. We would most likely never run out, for as well as it can be produced in so many ways, it also, according to the article, costs about a third less than oil per unit of energy. Oil today is extremely expensive and hard to come by, and this lowered cost and abundance might, not only help our economy, but could be a huge time-saver when it comes to production. As well as all that, the article says that power plants fueled by natural gas are much cheaper and faster to build, which would make power plant assembly. Finally, coal emits twice as much carbon into the air as natural gas, which is extremely detrimental to the atmosphere and environment, especially in the state we have already put ourselves in. In these ways, natural gas may seem to hold the answer to our biggest problems, and it may be easy to forget the obvious question of what are the bad things about natural gas? But this question may be the most important part of the controversy. It may seem impossible that something so beneficial could have negative aspects, but in many ways, the negatives outweigh the benefits.

For starters, gas tends to be an even worse greenhouse gas generator than coal. Although it may release about half as much CO2 as coal, when unburned, natural gas is an extremely powerful greenhouse gas. In the article, it says, “One molecule of leaked gas contributes as much to global warming as 25 molecules of burned gas.” So, despite the positive that when burned it is not dangerous, when left alone, which it probably would be more often than not, is just as potent as 25 molecules of burned gas.

            

Also, gas tends to leak consummate amounts. According to the article, the exact amount is unknown, but “Estimates range from 1.5 percent to as high as 8 percent,” and “Even near the low end of that range, gas can be as bad as coal.” With such huge leaks, its hard to say whether it would be safe for people to live near these power plants or even to work in them in general.

Overall, its hard to say what the outcome of natural gas would be, but why leave it to question? It would be irresponsible to allow the use of natural gas without a full understanding of the possible repercussions. At this time, it would not be realistic to risk our environment even further.