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Qishen Xu
Professor Semih Eser
EGEE 101H
1 March 2014
The significance of Natural Gas
With the growth of population and energy demand, natural gas is becoming increasingly
important to human beings. Gas is the largest, primary energy source consumed in the residential
sector and is the fastest growing energy source for electricity generation. Natural gas can be
applied to industry, urban living, transportation, chemical industry and etc. Natural gas is a
crucial energy supply which provides nearly a quarter of the worlds primary commercial energy,
and it greatly influences the environment and economy. For such a significant energy supply, the
reserve of the natural gas worth our focus as well.
First and foremost, natural gas has more environmental advantages compared to other
energies like oil and coal. Based on the website of Environmental Protection Agency,
Emissions of sulfur dioxide and mercury compounds from burning natural gas are
negligible.(EPA, Natural Gas) When burning natural gas, it almost doesnt produce sulfur or
any other poisonous chemicals, showing that natural gas is an excellent clean energy. Its density
is lighter than air, enabling the natural gas to emit, so it is not easy to lead to explosion. In
addition, the natural gas causes less Greenhouse effect. Ernest J. Moniz said natural gas can be
a kind of bridge to a very low carbon future, and when burned to generate electricity, natural gas
produces the same electrical output as coal but emits half the amount of carbon dioxide.
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(Johnson, 29) Consequently, natural gas is an environmentally friendly energy. As we all know,
the climate change is becoming increasingly serious and it will put our earth in a great danger if
we dont take actions. Using natural gas can effectively mitigate the climate change problem.
Secondly, the Natural gas is now an abundant, affordable, clean source of energy,
providing great opportunities for economic growth. According to the Hearing before the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources from the U.S Senate, The share of U.S natural gas
produced from unconventional sources will reach 67 percent by 2015. This would lead to $3.2
trillion in investments to develop the resource and 1.4 million new. These economic benefits are
not limited to gas-producing states; non-gas-producing states contributed 18 percent of the total
U.S. employment generated by unconventional gas activity in 2010.(U.S Congress, 25) The
report indicates that the production of natural gas not only arouse the economy but also relieve
the unemployment problem. It is natural gas that also plays an important role in economic world.
Thirdly, unlike the quickly using up oil resource, the reserves of natural gas are abundant.
There is now more natural gas than the market can consume and the evidence is convincing.
Based on the report from The National Academies, Known world reserves of conventional
natural gas total about 6,000 trillion cubic feet (TCF), with perhaps another one-tenth of that
amount still undiscovered. At that rate, known reserves will be adequate for about 60
years.(National Research Council, What You Need to Know About Energy). Nowadays, the
energy demand depends mostly on non-renewable energy and there is little doubt that the
transformation to renewable energy is hard for every country in a small period. Therefore,
putting more usage on natural gas instead of oil or coal could be a wise choice under current
circumstance.
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In summary, the significance of natural gas is obvious not only in environmental and
economic field, but also in its amount and sustainability. Although natural gas has some weak
points compared to oil such as efficiency, it performs better on most sides. Consequently, the
significance of the natural gas requires our further attention in the future.














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Works Cited
Cason, James. "Natural Gas Resources." Science 220.4595 (1983): 359-. Print.
Johnson, Jeff. THE NATURAL GAS ADVANTAGE. Chemical & engineering news 91.25
24 Jun 2013: 29. The Society. 02 Mar 2014.
National Research Council. What You Need to Know About Energy . Washington, DC: The
National Academies Press, 2008.
U.S Department of Energy. "Natural Gas." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 25 Sept.
2013. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
United States. Congress.Senate.Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Natural Gas
Resources: Hearing before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United
States Senate, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, First Session to Explore
Opportunities and Challenges Associated with America's Natural Gas Resources,
February 12, 2013. 113-1 Vol. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2013.
Print.