On October 6, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a warning explaining the drastic actions that it says need to take place for the world to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. The IPCC is part of the United Nations, and was established in 1988 to produce reports supporting world climate change agreements. The group was asked to provide a special report on ways to limit climate change to a rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
As the Washington Post pointed out, the report offers alarming warnings for what could happen if the world warms more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. Coral reefs could be completely lost, and extreme weather could make parts of the world intolerable, while an Alaska-sized area of the Arctic permafrost could thaw and make everything worse.
The report says the world needs to take some pretty drastic steps to avoid breaking through the 1.5-degree level. First, coal needs to be virtually eliminated from the electricity-generation mix. Renewables would make up 49% to 67% of the world’s energy. Natural gas, in contrast with coal, could see a “marked increase” in its usage so long as it is combined with carbon capture and sequestration technology. You often hear of carbon capture being discussed for capturing emissions from coal plants, but the technology actually makes a lot more sense with natural gas powerplants because they emit less carbon so there is less to capture. The report also suggests that natural gas and biomass could replace oil as a feedstock in industrial uses, and that could further reduce emissions.
The report shows that even if every government in the world were to completely get on board with the IPCC’s recommendations, natural gas is not going anywhere. More and more of the world will continue to benefit from natural gas produced from the Marcellus Shale formation in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. And Cimmaron Land will be helping companies acquire rights in the area. If you want more information, please contact us today.
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