Gas usage: It starts to look more like a wall than a bridge to some – 8 Jun 2021

Here is a counter-argument to gas that is gaining ground that we cannot ignore beyond a point as our policy makers talk of transiting into a gas-dependent world. For, gas advocates have long argued that gas can serve as a “bridge fuel” until renewable energy can be developed at a larger scale.

Today, this idea is obsolete for three reasons

First, the climate crisis is now urgent: remaining atmospheric space is so limited that there is no room for any additional fossil fuels

Second, since wind, solar, and energy storage and other supporting technologies have fallen rapidly in cost and are deployable at a large scale, there is no longer a need for a bridge. Third, recent findings on the extent of methane leakage from gas infrastructure undermine claims of environmental benefits over other fossil fuels.

Furthermore, now that renewables are competitive, additional gas tends to displace renewable energy as well as coal

Gas starts to look more like a wall than a bridge, impeding rather than enabling the energy transition.

There is more heft in these arguments now than ever before, and it is always good to listen to the other side carefully