Eight Minute Climate Fix - How Renewable is Renewable Natural Gas? - Episode 61

How Renewable is Renewable Natural Gas? - Episode 61

01/22/24 • 8 min

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Eight Minute Climate Fix

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Is renewable natural gas the silver bullet for a greener future or a complex puzzle yet to be solved? While many industrial and natural gas companies have looked to RNG as a potential solution to decarbonize their operations, the fuel source is not without some issues.
Paul examines how RNG is made, used and contributes to decarbonization goals. But he also looks at how and why some of those claims may not fully stand up under scrutiny.
For futher research:
The Four Fatal Flaws of Renewable Natural Gas - Sightline Institute
Renewable natural gas: A Swiss army knife for US decarbonization? - McKinsey
An Introduction to Renewable Natural Gas - EPA
Massachusetts DPU Order 20-80

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Let us know how we're doing - text us feedback or thoughts on episode content

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Previous Episode

What's Worse than Carbon Dioxide? - Episode 60

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CO2 may be the main culprit of climate warming activities - but there are other greenhouse gases out there even more potent. Twenty thousand times more potent, in fact. And controlling these gases is just as important to meeting our climate ambitions as reducing carbon emissions is.
Paul unpacks the Kyoto protocol and the seven gases identified to have significant global warming implications on our planet. And Paul discusses where these gases are coming from and what we're doing to address and control these super gases.
For further research:
What is the Kyoto Protocol?
EPA - Importance of Methane

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Proposed Rule to Reduce Wasteful Methane Emissions ...

Inside Climate News - What is Nitrous Oxide and Why is it a Climate Threat?

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Next Episode

The Dual Threat of Wildfires for Utilities - Episode 62

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The intensity and impact of wildfires has dramatically increased over the past few decades due to climate change. And as those acres burn, those fires are releasing trapped carbon back into the atmosphere and only exasperating global warming.
Utilities have been at the center of the controversy around wildfires - taking the blame for devastating events in California and Maui, but also leading in developing solutions to mitigate the rise in and impact of wildfires.
For further research:
"Wildfire Risks in the US are Soaring. Here's What Utilities can do." - Utility Dive
US Drought Monitor Conditions - NDIS
"PG&E will bury 10,000 miles of power lines so they don't spark wildfires" - NPR
"Effects of Climactic Variability and Change on Forest Ecosystems" - NDA
Wildfire Climate Connection - NOAA
New York City Skyline Turns Orange Due to Wildfires - ABC News
Forest Fires are Getting Worse, 20 Years of Data Confirm - Mongabay

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Eight Minute Climate Fix - How Renewable is Renewable Natural Gas? - Episode 61

Transcript

Speaker 100:00:04.366

This is 8 Minutes a podcast helping you understand the energy and climate challenge . In just a few minutes , I'm your host , paul Schuster . Let's talk about decarbonizing natural gas . Nothing makes up about one third of our US energy mix , so solutions that can decarbonize this fuel are super important . One such potential solution

Speaker 100:00:24.080

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