Natural gas: not clean enough

Energy Innovation research indicates that natural gas-fired power plants offer only modest climate benefits over a 100-year timeframe and can potentially contribute to climate change if methane leaks are high or if they displace renewable energy. While using existing gas capacity to replace aging coal plants is recommended, the brief argues against investing in new large baseload gas plants. It highlights that methane is significantly more potent than carbon dioxide, with leakage rates in the United States estimated between two and four percent, which diminishes the emissions advantage of gas over coal.

• Natural gas-fired power plants provide only a modest contribution to climate change abatement under optimal conditions; however, they may exacerbate the problem if developed poorly, characterized by significant methane leaks or the displacement of renewable energy and energy efficiency.
• Methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas, causing 28 times more global warming than carbon dioxide over 100 years (or 34 times including feedback loops) and 84 times more over 20 years (or 86 times including feedbacks).
• In the United States, methane emission rates from the natural gas system are estimated to be between two and four percent on average.
• The climate advantage of natural gas over coal depends on the time horizon and leakage rates: in the first year of emissions, if leakage is at 4%, both new and average gas plants are more GHG intensive than new or average coal. After 20 years, new gas is 16–40% less GHG intensive than average coal, and after 100 years, the improvement is 44–52% over coal.
• The brief recommends using existing natural gas capacity to shut down aging coal plants and utilizing flexible, advanced gas turbines to integrate variable renewables, but it advises against building new large baseload gas plants.

APA

Energy Innovation (n.d.). Natural gas: not clean enough. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Coal-vs-Gas-issue-brief.pdf

Chicago

Energy Innovation. Natural gas: not clean enough. n.d. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Coal-vs-Gas-issue-brief.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Energy Innovation |title=Natural gas: not clean enough |url=https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Coal-vs-Gas-issue-brief.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{energyinnovationndnatural, author = {{Energy Innovation}}, title = {{Natural gas: not clean enough}}, institution = {Energy Innovation}, url = {https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Coal-vs-Gas-issue-brief.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }