John Kerry, the US climate envoy, announced at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event this week that he could see natural gas as a ‘bridge fuel’ from fossil fuels to more sustainable alternatives in the transition to a cleaner energy mix.
Kerry commented on the efforts currently made to tackle climate change as ‘not being on a good track’, although he did note that it is not trouble we wouldn’t ‘get out of’.
In addition, Kerry’s outlook on natural gas as a viable fuel is only reasonable within the context of advancing carbon capture solutions where gas is collected and burned.
Biden’s climate envoy noted that 100% of CO2 emissions would need to be captured, and at an affordable price at that.
However, he said, that is not what is happening at the moment.
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Even so, the majority of business leaders represented by the Chamber of Commerce are strongly interested in having conversations about natural gas, as are many energy-state lawmakers.
Currently, carbon capture is still a key targeted technology, especially when it comes to scaling it and making it accessible throughout the industry, for both the oil and gas sectors that seek to decarbonize their operations.
Another concern expressed by Kerry was that coal was not being phased out as quickly as is necessary in order to meet global climate targets.
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According to the US climate envoy, coal is by far the ‘dirtiest’ fuel known to mankind and ought to be eliminated as soon as possible.
Kerry pointed out examples of how coal has already been replaced in the electric power supply by cheaper natural gas in other parts of the world
And in some regions, renewables such as wind and solar are even competing on par with natural gas, which was unthinkable only a few years ago, when both were considerably more expensive.
