A study of gas leakage around shale gas wells in the USA has called into question claims by the gas industry to be better for the climate than coal, making an immediate moratorium on coal seam gas in Australia pending a full local field study even more vital.
The study by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) published in the journal Nature found that leakage was twice the industry’s official figures, cancelling out the climate benefit of the transition from coal to shale gas. No similar independent studies have been done in Australia of the similar coal seam gas industry.
“The coal seam gas industry’s claims to be better for the climate than coal are increasingly being called into question by the evidence,” Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.
“Because methane is so much more powerful a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, a small amount of leakage can undermine the climate benefit.
“Given these results from field measurements in the USA, it’s no wonder the industry in Queensland, NSW and across Australia is fighting hard to stop credible measurements of its performance being done.
Greenpages.com.au
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