Natural gas remains to be the center of many debates. This is not surprising given that natural gas has plenty of advantages and few disadvantages. In a recent turn of events, Berkeley City in California, US has banned the use of natural gas in newer buildings. Despite this, it seems that there is a steady demand for natural gas.
The Steady Demand Stream
Natural gas has experienced the largest consumption growth rate of all forms of fossil fuels, according to the International Energy Agency. This is due to the fact that consumers have found significant benefits in their fields of work and at home. In the US, 90% of chefs prefer to cook with natural gas as it better distributes heat, as found by Quake. To date, the countries of USA, Russia, and China are the top 3 consumers of natural gas. So there is no fear that natural gas is going away soon.
More Bans in the Future?
Berkeley City banned the use of natural gas as they said it accounted for 27% of their greenhouse gas emissions. It is troubling that despite America being the top consumer of natural gas, there are grumbling of more cities following Berkeley’s footsteps. Around 50 other cities in California are thinking about banning natural gas in all new buildings, says the Natural Resources Defense Council. Berkeley’s ban will take effect sometime in the year 2020 so it is worth watching if more American cities will put a ban on the use of natural gas.
Last year, America topped Russia as the largest producer of natural gas in the world, according to J. Winston Porter. He used to be an assistant administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). When the number 1 producer of natural gas has territories deciding it does not want to use it, the logical consequence is that it will turn its attention toward other forms of clean energy. So those in the natural energy industry must, then, pay attention to the direction that America takes and pick up cues on what they may do to stay competitive and relevant.
Presently, natural gas remains to have a steady stream of supporters. Of course, those in the energy industry are persistently trying to find better ways to supply clean energy. So only time will tell how natural gas will survive the fight to remain the dominant form of natural energy.
