The Dirty Truth About “Clean” Gas

The briefing challenges the narrative that natural gas is a clean energy alternative, detailing the high methane potency and life-cycle emissions of LNG. It highlights that Bangladesh has over US $16 billion in gas infrastructure in development despite existing power overcapacity. The document argues that gas 'lock-in' impedes renewable energy adoption and notes that coal-to-gas conversions offer limited greenhouse gas reductions. It concludes by advocating for a total phase-out of fossil fuels in favor of utility-scale renewables to meet 2050 climate goals.

• Bangladesh is investing heavily in gas infrastructure despite having a power system with significant overcapacity, where thermal plants operated at only 40 percent capacity during 2019-20. There is currently over US $16 billion of new gas infrastructure in development, comprising US $12.3 billion for power plants, US $2.2 billion for pipelines, and US $2.1 billion for LNG terminals.
• The 'clean' image of gas is contradicted by the potency of methane, which makes up 70-90 percent of gas and is 28 times more potent than CO2 over 100 years. Furthermore, burning LNG for power accounts for only 55 to 66 percent of its total life-cycle emissions, with the rest coming from leakage and inefficiencies during exploration, mining, refinement, liquefaction, transportation, and storage.
• Promoting gas as a transition fuel creates a 'lock-in' effect through long-term contracts that hinder the adoption of cheaper renewable energy. In Asia, over 300 GW of gas-fired capacity is in development. Additionally, coal-to-LNG conversions are not highly effective; a plant using US-produced LNG transported to Asia still produces 78 percent of the greenhouse gases of a coal plant.
• Gas power generation has severe local health impacts due to the release of pollutants like ammonia (NH3), NOx, and PM2.5, which cause respiratory illnesses and premature deaths. In South Korea, gas power generation is estimated to cause up to 859 premature deaths annually under current policy scenarios.
• To meet 2050 climate goals, the International Energy Agency (IEA) stated in May 2022 that no new oil or gas projects can be sanctioned. In scenarios limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, gas usage must decrease by 21 to 61 percent from 2020 levels by 2050.

APA

Ajaz, W. (2022). The Dirty Truth About “Clean” Gas. Global Energy Monitor. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/Bangladesh-Gas-Briefing-Sep.-2022_11.pdf

Chicago

Ajaz, Warda. The Dirty Truth About “Clean” Gas. Global Energy Monitor, 2022. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/Bangladesh-Gas-Briefing-Sep.-2022_11.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ajaz |first1=Warda |title=The Dirty Truth About “Clean” Gas |publisher=Global Energy Monitor |date=September 2022 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/Bangladesh-Gas-Briefing-Sep.-2022_11.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ajaz2022dirty, author = {Ajaz, Warda}, title = {{The Dirty Truth About “Clean” Gas}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2022}, month = sep, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/Bangladesh-Gas-Briefing-Sep.-2022_11.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }