Natural Gas Reduces CO2 Emissions More Effectively than Renewables

Published February 27, 2013

Environmental economist Bjorn Lomborg may foolishly agree with the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change regarding many speculative and discredited global warming claims, but he does understand the compelling economic reasons not to buy into the alarmists proposed solutions. In a compelling article published in Slate, Lomborg explains how natural gas production through hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is doing more to reduce U.S. carbon dioxide emissions than all of the nation’s wind farms and solar panels put together.

It is still more expensive to generate electricity from natural gas rather than coal, but natural gas dramatically reduces carbon dioxide and pollutants much more affordably than wind power and solar power.

“Carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. are at their lowest level in 20 years. It’s not because of wind or solar power,” writes Lomborg.

Slate published the article in September, but it is available here and is well worth reading today.