Natural Gas is Critical—not Momentary—for the Administration’s Goals
As production of U.S. natural gas and oil increases in response to historic demand, John Kerry, the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, has claimed this is a “momentary bubble.” While Kerry acknowledged that there needs to be an increase in the natural gas supply, he simply dismisses this as temporary, in line with the Biden administration’s sentiment that the U.S will soon shift completely to renewable energy.
According to recent data from the International Energy Agency, the global oil demand is not slowing down at the pace necessary for this rapid transition. In fact, by 2028, it is expected that the demand will rise by 6 percent.
Though the demand is predicted to increase, American natural gas will reduce emissions over this period. In the IEA’s forecast outlook, the U.S. will provide “nearly 45% of the total rise” of oil and gas while reducing emissions. The IEA predicts “U.S. upstream oil emissions will drop 40% even as production grows by 13% over the forecast period, mainly through reductions in methane emissions.”
The energy produced in the U.S. is helping decrease emissions through the deployment of carbon capture utilization and storage and will continue to do so, even with a rise in demand expected globally. Claims about the temporary nature of the oil and gas industry, spread by individuals like Kerry, overlooks the United States’ role in decreasing the emissions in the natural gas and oil industry. If the administration expects to usher in an era of green energy technologies, traditional sources of energy, such as natural gas, will play an outsized role in buffering that transition, while continuing to lower emissions.