ClimateWire: In recent years, as the natural gas boom has led to the fuel playing an increasing role in the U.S. energy mix, a debate has been raging over its climate benefits.
A number of studies measuring emissions of methane, a key component of natural gas with 30 times the warming potential of CO2, have measured significant leakages of the gas.
If such leaks are common, the climate benefits of burning natural gas rather than coal diminish.
Drilling for natural gas (methane) in coal country can be...