UK shift to natural gas slashed emissions by 400kg per capita

UK shift to natural gas slashed emissions by 400kg per capita | ugp business energy supplierThe UK saved around 400 kilograms of carbon dioxide per capita in 2016 as power generation shifted from coal to natural gas.

That’s according to new research from Imperial College London, which says this is equivalent to taking a third of the country’s cars off the road.

The university’s researchers said natural gas produces less than half the carbon dioxide of coal when burned and added the strategy does not rely on building new gas infrastructure or increasing supply – only using existing infrastructure to its full capacity.

They also said although having the capacity and supply chain available to allow the switch was important, the biggest driver was the government’s carbon pricing policy.

The report suggests global carbon emissions could be cut by 3% in less than five years if other countries followed the same strategy.

Dr Iain Staffell from the Centre for Environmental Policy at the university, said: “Switching from coal to gas is not a long-term solution but it is an important step to start reducing emissions quickly and at minimal cost.

“This will give us time to build up the required renewable energy capacity to permanently cut global carbon emissions.”

Originally published at energylivenews.com