查看文章

The most important energy development of the past decade has been the wide deployment of hydraulic fracturing technologies that enable the production of previously uneconomic shale gas resources in North America. If these advanced gas production technologies were to be deployed globally, the energy market could see a large influx of economically competitive unconventional gas resources. The climate implications of such abundant natural gas have been hotly debated. Some researchers have observed that abundant natural gas substituting for coal could reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions^,,,. Others have reported that the non-CO₂ greenhouse gas emissions associated with shale gas production make its lifecycle emissions higher than those of coal^,. Assessment of the full impact of abundant gas on climate change requires an integrated approach to the global energy–economy–climate systems, but …