The domestic national-gas boom might thin the ranks of climate change advocates and put the United States at odds with the international community on the issue, an expert said Thursday.
America’s insistence that natural gas will play an important role in easing the effects of climate change runs counter to European views and will likely invite “friction,” Michael Levi, program director on energy security and climate change with the Council on Foreign Relations, said during a discussion hosted by the New America Foundation. He said Europeans view natural gas as a dirty energy source.
That could isolate the United States in international climate talks, Levi said.
“For the most part, people in the United States who care about climate change think that natural gas is good news,” Levi said. “That is not the view in Europe. In Europe, natural gas is generally seen as a bad thing for climate change and a bad direction for the climate. On the international level, that will put us in some problems.”
Natural gas emits less carbon dioxide than oil or coal when burned as an energy source. But some environmentalists fear that emissions of methane — a potent greenhouse gas — at well sites could erode the climate benefits of the fuel.
This is how unsubstantiated fears of what *might* happen someday (even though it hasn’t happened ever before) come to drive policy decisions controlling billion$.
We’re supposed to change our behavior so others will like us? What is this . . . junior high school?
Gamecock,
When we’re talking about the US Congress, a junior-high-school comparison may be too elevated. Worse, Republicans are often more sensitive to being unpopular since the Dems know that they have the MSM in their pocket.
True. Unfortunately. We need representatives who don’t care if people hate them. 20% are going to hate them no matter what they do, so they should get over it and do what’s right. Like eliminate all the alphabet agencies.
Awwwwwwww………..Europe doesn’t like us! That hurts!
We care what Europe thinks, why? looking at the shape Europe is in would lead one to look at what Europe does, and do the opposite. Natural gas is a great fuel and we are blessed with a lot of it, so use it.