Calculating Parity Between Gas and Coal Life-cycle Emissions

RMI highlights that the perceived climate benefit of substituting coal with natural gas is undermined by methane leakage. The briefing notes that leakage rates as low as 0.2% can make gas emissions equal to coal, depending on the specific resources involved. To address this, RMI has developed a calculator for site-specific emissions parity analysis. The document advocates for immediate methane mitigation through technology and policy, noting that wind and solar are already more economically attractive and avoid the methane risks associated with gas.

• Natural gas can have net greenhouse gas emissions on par with coal if methane leakage from equipment, pipelines, or flaring reaches as little as 0.2 percent.
• Methane is estimated to account for 50 percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions produced by the oil and gas sector.
• In a specific comparison of West Virginia operations, gas emissions reach parity with coal if the state's gas systems have a methane leakage rate of 1.4 percent.
• Substituting coal mined in Liaoning Province, China, with liquefied natural gas from the Texas Permian region provides no near-term greenhouse gas benefit if the imported gas has a methane leakage rate of 0.2 percent.
• The International Energy Agency identifies tackling methane emissions as the most critical measure for oil and gas operators to achieve a 60 percent reduction in sector emissions by 2030.

APA

RMI (2023). Calculating Parity Between Gas and Coal Life-cycle Emissions. https://rmi.org/resources/calculating-parity-between-gas-and-coal-life-cycle-emissions/

Chicago

RMI. Calculating Parity Between Gas and Coal Life-cycle Emissions. 2023. https://rmi.org/resources/calculating-parity-between-gas-and-coal-life-cycle-emissions/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Calculating Parity Between Gas and Coal Life-cycle Emissions |date=11 October 2023 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/calculating-parity-between-gas-and-coal-life-cycle-emissions/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2023calculating, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Calculating Parity Between Gas and Coal Life-cycle Emissions}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2023}, month = oct, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/calculating-parity-between-gas-and-coal-life-cycle-emissions/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }