Mitigation makes significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions possible
Around a quar of the world’s electricity comes from power plants fired by natural gas, which significantly contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. The most recent figures have estimated that power plants fired by natural gas are accountable for about 10% of energy-related emissions. Now, a team of researchers led by McGill University has gathered data from 108 countries around the world to quantify emissions by country. The team estimated that total global carbon dioxide emissions from the life cycle of gas-fired power are 3.6 billion tonnes each year. It was concluded that this amount could be reduced by around 71% if a variety of mitigation options were implemented globally. “We were astonished by how large the potential reduction in greenhouse gases could be by 2050, and even by 2030,” said Sarah Jordaan, an associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and the Trottier Institute in Sustainability in Engineering and Design at McGill University and the first author on the paper. “If natural gas is going to play a role in a low carbon future, even for a transitional period, there will be a need to improve efficiency in power plants and to cut methane emissions from natural gas production as well as to capture and store CO2.” “Our analysis demonstrates that significant efforts are needed to transition from current emissions levels, but also that by identifying the drivers of emissions in the gas supply chain, governments can take strategic, nationally-determined action to reduce their emissions.”