鈥淕reenwashing gas: Might a 鈥榯ransition fuel鈥?label legitimize carbon-intensive natural gas development?鈥?/span>

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• 作者：Eleanor Stephenson^a ; ^{eleanor.stephenson@linacre.ox.ac.uk} ; Alexander Doukas^a ; Karena Shaw^b
• 关键词：Shale gas ; Liquefied natural gas ; Transition fuel
• 刊名：Energy Policy
• 出版年：2012
• 期刊代码：15_03014215
• 类别：pw
• 出版时间：July, 2012
• 卷：46
• 期：Complete
• 页码：452-459
• 文件大小：202 K

摘要

Natural gas is widely considered to be the crucial 鈥渂ridging fuel鈥?in the transition to the low-carbon energy systems necessary to mitigate climate change. This paper develops a case study of the shale gas industry in British Columbia (BC), Canada to evaluate this assumption. We find that the transition fuel argument for gas development in BC is unsubstantiated by the best available evidence. Emissions factors for shale gas and LNG remain poorly characterized and contested in the academic literature, and context-specific factors have significant impacts on the lifecycle emissions of shale gas but have not been evaluated. Moreover, while the province has attempted to frame natural gas development within its ambitious climate change policy, this framing misrepresents substantive policy on gas production. The 鈥渢ransition fuel鈥?and 鈥渃limate solution鈥?labels applied to development by the BC provincial government risk legitimizing carbon-intensive gas development. We argue that policy makers in BC and beyond should abandon the 鈥渢ransition fuel鈥?characterization of natural gas. Instead, decision making about natural gas development should proceed through transparent engagement with the best available evidence to ensure that natural gas lives up to its best potential in supporting a transition to a low-carbon energy system.