Accelerating the fossil gas transition to net zero

The report asserts that fossil gas cannot be a transition fuel due to methane leakage and the urgent need to cut global carbon emissions by 50% by 2030. It criticizes gas blending as an inefficient strategy and advocates for the scaling of low-carbon hydrogen, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors like steel production, while warning that electrolysers must be paired with new renewable energy generation to avoid hindering grid decarbonisation.

• Fossil gas is not a viable transition fuel because the global carbon budget for 1.5°C allows no room for new unabated fossil gas infrastructure, and existing infrastructure will exceed this budget without early retirement.
• Methane leakage significantly undermines the climate benefits of fossil gas; leakage from the energy sector is estimated to be 70% higher than official figures, and a leakage rate of just 3% can make gas-fired power as carbon-intensive as coal-fired power.
• Gas blending is described as an inefficient and regressive strategy, as a 5% hydrogen blend by volume only reduces fossil gas use by 1.6%, creating risks of stranded assets and high retrofit costs.
• Low-carbon hydrogen is a key alternative for hard-to-abate sectors, with potential emissions reductions of 98% in steel production compared to only one-third in cement production, though its growth in the EU energy mix is expected to reach 13-14%.

APA

Climate Bonds Initiative (n.d.). Accelerating the fossil gas transition to net zero. https://www.climatebonds.net/files/drupal-files/files/CBI_GasPolicy_2022_01_Summary_B.pdf

Chicago

Climate Bonds Initiative. Accelerating the fossil gas transition to net zero. n.d. https://www.climatebonds.net/files/drupal-files/files/CBI_GasPolicy_2022_01_Summary_B.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Bonds Initiative |title=Accelerating the fossil gas transition to net zero |url=https://www.climatebonds.net/files/drupal-files/files/CBI_GasPolicy_2022_01_Summary_B.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatebondsinitiativendaccelerating, author = {{Climate Bonds Initiative}}, title = {{Accelerating the fossil gas transition to net zero}}, institution = {Climate Bonds Initiative}, url = {https://www.climatebonds.net/files/drupal-files/files/CBI_GasPolicy_2022_01_Summary_B.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }