By Jennifer Sensiba Published July 29, 2022
I don’t think I have to explain the problem with oil leaks from pipelines, but fewer people know about the problem of methane (aka “natural gas”) leaks. Not only is loose methane in the atmosphere bad for people and animals who breathe it in, but it’s also a much more potent greenhouse gas compared to CO2. So, it’s vitally important that we keep that stuff in the pipes or in the ground.
While the ideal answer would be to just stop drilling and putting it in pipes that could leak, we’re not there yet, and won’t be there very fast. The critical task for climate change and human health right now is replacing dirty coal power with renewables, which gives us the most environmental bang for our bucks. After that, we can focus on the next worst thing (fuel oil), and then the next worst thing, which is the gas. Shutting down gas right now would leave people without electricity and heat in their homes, or force us to replace that energy with coal, which is a step in the wrong direction.
Source: Clean Technica
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