[ad_1]
Ensuring that natural gas does not fill the energy gap left by coal will be an even more delicate proposition. While leading Democratic candidates agree that the fight against climate change should be a priority for the country, none has called for limits to the expansion of natural gas.
Natural gas has been called "bridge fuel". The idea is that it should be used to temporarily reduce the dependence on more dirty energy, such as coal and fuel oil, while the costs of renewable energies such as wind and sun fall.
Pope said the campaign was prepared for a "major communication challenge" to convince people that the bridge had been crossed.
Karen Harbert, president of the American Gas Association, an industry group, called Bloomberg's "Beyond Energy" campaign. She noted that, overall, the United States emissions have dropped significantly over the last decade thanks in part to natural gas, and said that without it, renewable energy would stagnate.
Ms. Herbert stated that natural gas is no longer a transitional fuel, but "a fundamental part of our energy landscape".
According to the United States Energy Information Administration, a government agency that tracks energy data, natural gas currently meets 28% of the US energy demand, while about 11% comes from renewable sources.
Kevin Book, managing director of ClearView Energy Partners, a research firm, described Bloomberg's campaign as "a daunting task." He estimated that replacing the country's coal capacity with wind and solar power could cost up to $ 800 billion 150 billion additional dollars to increase energy storage capacity .
"It will not be easy to do what he's talking about," said Mr. Book.
Mr. Bloomberg has already donated more than $$ 150 million to the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations as part of its previous environmental campaign, called Beyond Coal. He announced in March that he would not run for president in 2020.
For more information on the climate and the environment, follow @NYTClimate on Twitter.
[ad_2]
Source link