Natural gas occupies a strange place in the climate debate. By helping to phase out coal, it has led modest decarbonization efforts in the United States and elsewhere, but it continues to emit climate change-causing CO2. Environmental NGO’s have switched between loving it and hating it.
In this episode, returning guest Mark Nelson joins us to deepen our understanding of natural gas, fracing [sic], its economics, and more. We touch on the chemistry of hydrocarbons; the immense infrastructure needed to enable natural gas use; the Fracing Revolution; why we are building more natural gas even as we attempt to decarbonize; public perceptions of natural gas and their causes; Nord Stream 2; Germany’s energy folly; and the unsettling economic future of gas.
Mark Nelson holds degrees in mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering, as well as Russian language and literature. He is Managing Director of Radiant Energy Fund, and was formerly an analyst at Environmental Progress.
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Boiling point of methane: -259.6ºF = -162ºC