Rachel Hautman

Energy, Environment, and the Society

Mitigation Strategy
5 February 2016

INTRODUCTION
Over the next 50 years, carbon emissions in the atmosphere are expected to double 1. Carbon
dioxide (CO2) builds in the atmosphere leading to trapped heat for our planet. This heat very
slowly increases the overall temperature of the globe; the phenomenon is known as global
warming or climate change. However, it is not feasible to discontinue emissions altogether.
Instead, scientists have discussed a number of suggestions to reduce the rate of emissions until
the human race is ready to completely switch to more environmentally friendly alternatives.

STABILIZATION WEDGES
Princeton University and BP teamed up twenty years ago to start The Carbon Mitigation
Initiative (CMI). One of CMIs largest resources to elaborate on alternatives to dumping CO2 in
the atmosphere is the Stabilization Wedges. There are eight main categories that are divided to
form a total of 15 wedges1. Although there is debate over which wedge will work best, I believe
that the most effective way to reduce CO2 emissions is to switch all of our coal electric plants to
natural gas-powered facilities.

Switching from Coal to Natural Gas

In recent years, many coal-powered plants have switched to burning natural gas for producing
electricity. The reason for the switch is two-fold: first, natural gas is becoming cheaper while
coal is becoming more expensive, and second, old inefficient coal plants are being retired and
replaced with more reliable natural gas-fired plants2.
The CMI has seen this trend toward natural gas and further pushed for it, knowing that CO2
emissions are cut with each new natural gas power plant. They hope to substitute 1,400 coalfired facilities with natural gas powered plants and, therefore, build 1,400 GW of capacity from
natural gas. This would engulf 60% of our current fossil fuel electricity capacity1.

Lower Carbon Emissions from Natural Gas

Compared with coal, natural gas only generates about half the amount of CO2. By reducing this
percent, less CO2 goes into the atmosphere, and there is less impact on the environment.
However, burning natural gas has byproducts of CO (in addition to CO2) and other hydrocarbons
including gaseous methane3. Fortunately, methane (CH4) has a much shorter lifespan in the
atmosphere than CO2; it can be removed in 12 years through natural processes in soil and
chemical reactions4.
All in all, CO2 is difficult to track through its cycle, and therefore it is difficult to determine a
lifetime to remove the CO2. Scientists estimate that some excess carbon dioxide can be
absorbed quickly while other molecules can remain in the atmosphere for thousands of years4.

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Regardless, cutting CO2 emissions by switching to natural gas will lessen human impact on the
environment.

Success versus Failure for Natural Gas

Unfortunately, the world is ruled by money. One of the biggest reasons why I believe natural
will succeed is because it will save a company money. In addition, natural gas is abundant and,
although it is non-renewable, the supply is not running out quickly. Relating to this and the
principle of supply and demand, natural gas is cheaper to buy. Figure 1 illustrates the dropping
price of natural gas in contrast with the steady rise in price of coal. In addition to the
environmental advantages of natural gas, it is lastly easier to transport because of its light
weight3.

Figure 1: Historical Price of Coal versus Price of Natural Gas2

In contrast, natural gas is a fossil fuel. It releases many harmful molecules into the atmosphere
and will have an environmental impact. True environmentalists realize that natural gas makes
for a weak bridge to a zero-pollution future5. Natural gas is non-sustainable and our supply will
eventually run out. It is also more difficult to use due to its multiple components and the need
for pure methane in the process. The last reason natural gas may not succeed is that the easiest
way to transport the gas is through pipelines. These pipelines are expensive and can be rejected
as not environmentally friendly3.

CONCLUSION
Natural gas has been explored extensively as a way to lessen CO2 emissions in the atmosphere.
Compared to coal, it is more environmentally friendly when burned and is cheaper to buy.
There are cons of using natural gas, but it would be a viable solution for the immediate future.
Combining natural gas with other CO2 reducing wedges will create a more hopeful future.

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REFERENCES
1. Stabilization Wedges. Carbon Mitigation Initiative. 2015 March 10. Available from:
http://cmi.princeton.edu/wedges/. Accessed 2016 Feb. 4.
2. Pickering, Gordon. The Phenomenon of Coal-to-Gas Switching. Western Energy Fall
2012:12-16. Available from:
http://www.navigant.com/~/media/WWW/Site/Insights/Energy/The%20Phenomenon%
20of%20CoaltoGas%20Switching%20by%20GPickeringWEI%20articlepdf.ashx. Accessed
2016 Feb. 2.
3. Rinkesh. Natural Gas Pros and Cons. Conserve Energy Future. N.d. Available from:
http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/pros-and-cons-of-natural-gas.php. Accessed
2016 Feb. 4.
4. Overview of Greenhouse Gases. United States Environmental Protection Agency. N.d.
Available from: http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/ch4.html.
Accessed 2016 Feb. 4.
5. Biello, David. Fact or Fiction?: Natural Gas Will Reduce Global Warming Pollution. 3 Aug.
2015. Available from: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-naturalgas-will-reduce-global-warming-pollution/. Accessed 2016 Feb. 4.

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