CWR's report is particularly timely given Belco's desire to switch to liquefied natural gas (LNG) as the principal source of fuel for electricity generation in Bermuda, and their related request to the Ascendant board to approve a $200m Belco natural gas conversion plan.

The CWR report states "Natural gas is not a clean option, given the methods and standards governing its production, transport, and use today. It can be cleaner than coal or other fossil fuel alternatives – in some cases twice as clean. However, natural gas presents a risk to air and water quality, and contributes to climate change. A sizable part of this risk comes from methane gas. Both the extraction and the burning of natural gas emit methane gas. Compared to carbon dioxide, methane has a much bigger impact on the atmosphere: it is 25 times more potent over a 100-year timeframe and 72-105 times more potent over just 20 years – an important distinction given that the world’s emissions over the next few decades will have a decisive impact on our climate for centuries to come, and natural gas could sway the balance in coming years".

It goes on to raise explicit heightened concerns about LNG "The claim that natural gas is ‘clean’ is particularly untrue for certain natural-gas-based forms of fuel, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG). The LNG process makes it possible to export natural gas around the world, by liquefying the gas for transport and then regasifying for use. Fugitive methane emissions occur at every step of this process, making LNG a full 15% more emissions-intensive than natural gas that is burned as a gas nearby to its point of extraction."

 The full report is available here and is also embedded below;

To learn more, visit http://www.carbonwarroom.com/content/smart-island-economies#perspective-on-natural-gas