Global mitigation opportunities for the life cycle of natural gas-fired power

Sarah M. Jordaan (), Andrew W. Ruttinger, Kavita Surana, Destenie Nock, Scot M. Miller and Arvind P. Ravikumar
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Sarah M. Jordaan: McGill University
Andrew W. Ruttinger: Cornell University
Kavita Surana: University of Maryland
Destenie Nock: Carnegie Mellon University
Scot M. Miller: Johns Hopkins University
Arvind P. Ravikumar: The University of Texas at Austin

Nature Climate Change, 2022, vol. 12, issue 11, 1059-1067

Abstract: Abstract Over 100 countries pledged to reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030 at COP26, but whether gas can serve as a bridge to lower-carbon options remains disputed. With an increasingly global supply chain, countries have different responsibilities in mitigation. We determine the global average of life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from the delivery of gas-fired electricity to be 645 gCO2e kWh−1 (334–1,389 gCO2e kWh−1), amounting to 3.6 GtCO2e yr−1 in 2017 (10% of energy-related emissions). Deploying mitigation options can reduce global emissions from gas-fired power by 71% with carbon capture and storage, methane abatement, and efficiency upgrades contributing 43%, 12% and 5%, respectively. Mitigation falls within national responsibilities, except an annual 20.5 MtCO2e of ocean transport emissions. For gas to truly be a bridge fuel, countries involved with the life cycle of gas-fired power need to deploy all mitigation options while balancing the risk of locking in carbon-intensive electricity.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41558-022-01503-5

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