COP27: Dash for natural gas on a scale that threatens 1.5°C goals, says report
- November 11, 2022
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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COP27: Dash for natural gas on a scale that threatens 1.5°C goals, says report
Subject: Environment
Context-
- The report, titled Massive gas expansion risks overtaking positive climate policies, was released at the 27th Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
Report analysis-
- Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) production projects, including those under construction, proposed or approved between 2021 and 2050, could increase emissions by over 1.9 Gigatonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2) per year in 2030.
- This estimate is above emission levels estimated by the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s Net Zero by 2050 scenario, the report released by Climate Action Tracker (CAT) stated.
- The total global gas use by 2030 must be at least 30 per cent below 2021 levels, according to the 2022 update of the IEA’s Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector.
- Under current proposals, global LNG consumption could more than double by 2030, reaching 800 million tonnes of LNG per year.
- The findings also showed that cumulative emissions from LNG are estimated to be over 40 Gigatonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2) higher between 2020 and 2050.
- This could consume 10 per cent of the remaining global carbon budget for 1.5˚C warming by 2050.
- The world has a remaining budget of about 420 gigatonnes of CO2 for a two-thirds chance of limiting warming to 1.5°C, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
- The remaining carbon budget is the remaining CO2 emissions that can still be emitted while keeping the global average temperature increase due to human activities to a specific limit, which is 5°C.
- The Russia-Ukraine war has caused the energy crisis.
- This has taken over the climate crisis.
- The gas industry has taken advantage of that. There is a massive push for gas everywhere.
African gas reserves-
- Europe, Africa, the United States, Australia, Canada and the Middle East are expected to expand exports.
- Europe is expected to see significant increases in imports, while India, southeast Asia, and east Asia have plans to expand import capacity.
- There is a renewed interest in Africa’s fossil energy reserves given the energy crisis.
- It now has 905 proposed fossil gas plants.
- Nigeria, Egypt, Senegal and Mozambique are pushing to accelerate fossil gas production.
- The African Development Bank will be co-financing an LNG plant in Mozambique.
- Fossil gas projects are attractive to many African nations facing a debt crisis.
What is Natural Gas?
- Natural gas is a fossil energy source that formed deep beneath the earth’s surface. Natural gas contains different compounds. The largest component of natural gas is methane, a compound with one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms (CH4).
What is Liquified Natural Gas (LNG)?
- Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas that has been cooled to a liquid state, at about -260° Fahrenheit, for shipping and storage.
- The volume of natural gas in its liquid state is about 600 times smaller than its volume in its gaseous state.
- This process makes it possible to transport natural gas to places where pipelines do not reach.
Importance of Gas:
- Energy efficient: Natural gas produces more energy than any of the fossil fuels in terms of calorific value.
- Cleaner fuel: Natural gas is a superior fuel as compared with coal and other liquid fuels; being an environment-friendly, safer and cheaper fuel.
- Emission commitments: India made a commitment to COP-21 Paris Convention in December 2015 that by 2030, it would reduce carbon emission by 33%-35% of 2005 levels.
- Diverse applications: Natural gas can be used as domestic kitchen fuel, fuel for the transport sector as well as a fuel for fertilizer industries and commercial units.