Gas, the energy crisis and net zero

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics argues that the global energy crisis is driven by fossil fuel volatility rather than clean energy policies. It asserts that natural gas is incompatible with Paris Agreement climate goals and that renewable energy is now a more cost-effective and secure alternative for power generation globally, including in Africa.

• The current global energy crisis is driven by fossil fuel price volatility and geopolitical events, specifically the post-pandemic economic recovery and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, rather than net-zero policies. The IEA reports that high gas and coal prices are responsible for 90% of electricity price increases globally.
• Natural gas is incompatible with the 1.5°C and 2°C Paris Agreement targets. To maintain the 1.5°C limit, global gas production must decrease by 3% annually by 2030, and global methane emissions—which trap significantly more heat than CO2—must be reduced by 75% by 2030.
• Renewable energy is more economical than gas for two-thirds of the world's population. In the EU, zero-carbon electricity generation saved EUR 33 billion in gas bills in Q3 2021, and EUR 2.3 billion were saved in the UK. Long-term projections suggest over 90% of proposed gas plants in the US will be uneconomic by 2035.
• Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has largely failed to scale, with only 27 of over 260 projects completed between 1995 and 2018. As of 2021, functioning facilities captured only about 0.1% of global fossil fuel emissions, and nearly 75% of projects are used for enhanced oil recovery, which may increase overall emissions.
• In Africa, renewables are projected to be half as expensive as natural gas by 2030, with solar PV costs between 18-49 USD/MWh and onshore wind between 33-86 USD/MWh. The document notes that most African oil and gas production is controlled by global north companies, and new gas infrastructure risks becoming stranded as European markets transition to renewables.

APA

Team, Z. (2022). Gas, the energy crisis and net zero. Zero Carbon Analytics. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/insights/briefings/gas-the-energy-crisis-and-net-zero/

Chicago

Team, ZCA. Gas, the energy crisis and net zero. Zero Carbon Analytics, 2022. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/insights/briefings/gas-the-energy-crisis-and-net-zero/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Team |first1=ZCA |title=Gas, the energy crisis and net zero |publisher=Zero Carbon Analytics |date=14 November 2022 |url=https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/insights/briefings/gas-the-energy-crisis-and-net-zero/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{team2022gas, author = {Team, ZCA}, title = {{Gas, the energy crisis and net zero}}, institution = {Zero Carbon Analytics}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/insights/briefings/gas-the-energy-crisis-and-net-zero/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }