Shell bets on gas to limit climate change until 22nd century
2013-03-02 10:05 by Anja Reitz
Royal Dutch/Shell believes a policy-led shift to gas, carbon capture and nuclear power could keep a lid on climate change into the 22nd century while a more free market approach would result in carbon emissions some 25 percent higher.
Sketching possible paths of development for global energy use, Shell, which has bet the most heavily of all the top oil firms on a big future for natural gas, promoted its use as a way to moderate greenhouse gas emissions between now and 2100.
It also suggested: measures to promote compact and energy efficient cities; mandates for greater efficiency in transport and buildings; and a price on CO2 emissions that would speed the adoption of carbon capture technology.
In its first "moderate growth" scenario, called "Mountains", Shell said, "Cleaner-burning natural gas becomes the backbone of the world's energy system, in many places replacing coal as a fuel for power generation and seeing wider use in transport". Oil use might peak in about 2035, and thanks in part to CO2 capture, the power sector could be producing zero emissions by 2060.
Source: REUTER, by Andrew Callus, LONDON |