Enemies of Energy: Fracking and natural gas

Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from the “Myths and Misconceptions” section of Enemies of Energy, a research report created for the Capital Research Center. The page for the full report is here: Enemies of Energy.

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The anti-energy NGOs all oppose the expansion of natural gas production and use. For example, a January 2024 news release from Greenpeace referred to the USA’s liquified natural gas terminals as “climate Death Stars that will decimate both local communities and our planet.” ^[i]

The American left was not always so hostile to natural gas.

Ramparts, for example, was a stridently left-wing, often communist-sympathizing glossy magazine that was published from the early 1960s through 1975. But for the October 1973 issue, Ramparts environmental reporter James Ridgeway wrote the following: “In the late 1960s there was a particularly keen demand for the clean burning natural gas because of air pollution in big metropolitan areas.” [emphasis added] ^[ii]

Ridgeway was correct. Natural gas was then and remains today a far cleaner fuel than any other hydrocarbon.

A 2010 report in Scientific American stated that when natural gas is used to fuel a power plant it “emits about half of the carbon dioxide emissions as conventional coal plants.” This assertion is confirmed by multiple reports from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Agency (EIA). In June 2021 the EIA posted an analysis with this headline: “Electric power sector CO2 emissions drop as generation mix shifts from coal to natural gas.” ^{[iii] [iv] [v]}

That’s putting it mildly.

Since 2000, hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), combined with advanced geological mapping has turned the United States into the world’s top natural gas producer. The International Energy Agency (IEA) credited the USA with more than 25 percent of the world’s natural gas output in 2023. This was more than the combined gas production of second place Russia and third place Iran. ^[vi]

Of course, this also made America the undisputed top producer of CO₂ emissions from natural gas. But remember the trade-off: replacing kilowatts from coal with cleaner-burning gas kilowatts means a dramatic cut in overall carbon dioxide emissions. ^[vii]

In 2000, natural gas was the clear third-place fuel for American electricity generation, contributing just 16.2 percent of the total. Coal was the undisputed champion, fueling 51.7 percent of total electricity production. By 2024, the two hydrocarbons had traded places: natural gas had been developed into the top fuel, at 42.6 percent of total electricity production, and coal had fallen to third place at 14.9 percent. ^[viii]

The impact on CO₂ emissions was just as striking.

According to Our World in Data, USA carbon dioxide emissions in 2024 equaled 4.9 billion tonnes, a big drop from the 6.02 million tonnes of CO₂ produced by the American economy in 2000. Because of the transition from coal to gas, CO₂ emissions from gas in 2024 were 520 million tonnes higher, but coal emissions were 1.39 billion tonnes lower. ^[ix]

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The net annual reduction from the coal-to-gas switch (867 million tonnes) accounted for more than 77 percent of the drop in CO₂ emissions in 2024 as compared to 2000.^[x]

To put that number in perspective, in 2024 Germany’s total CO₂ emissions amounted to only 572.32 million tonnes. Similarly, France’s total 2024 CO₂ emissions equaled 264.16 million tonnes. And that’s not just gas and coal emissions (as in the American example) but gasoline, jet fuel, and everything else that drove the German and French economies in 2024.^[xi]

Germany and France are the world’s third and seventh largest economies. So, just the American transition from coal to natural gas in electricity production since 2000 has cancelled out the combined annual CO₂ emissions from two of the planet’s biggest economic engines.

And then there’s the world’s second largest economy—China.

Our World in Data statistics show CO₂ emissions from Chinese coal burning jumped by 890 million annual tonnes between 2021 and 2024. This wiped out all of the CO₂ emissions savings the Americans made from the coal-to-gas switch. And in January 2026 the Financial Times reported that China will open more than 100 new coal-fired power plants during the year. ^{[xii] [xiii]}

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PDF hyperlink to full report

Endnotes

[i] Nelson, Katie. “In a huge win for Gulf Coast communities, Biden administration delays approval of “Climate Death Star” LNG Facilities.” Greenpeace. January 26, 2024. https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/in-a-huge-win-for-gulf-coast-communities-biden-administration-delays-approval-of-climate-death-star-lng-facilities/

[ii] Ridgeway, James. “Notes on the Energy Crisis.” Ramparts. October 1973.

[iii] Kirkland, Joel (ClimateWire). “Natural Gas Could Serve as ‘Bridge’ Fuel to Low-Carbon Future.” Scientific American. June 25, 2010. Accessed January 14, 2026. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/natural-gas-could-serve-as-bridge-fuel-to-low-carbon-future/

[iv] “Environment: Carbon Dioxide Emissions Coefficients.” Energy Information Agency | U.S. Department of Energy. September 18, 2024. Accessed January 14, 2026. https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php

[v] “Electric power sector CO2 emissions drop as generation mix shifts from coal to natural gas.” Energy Information Agency | U.S. Department of Energy. June 9, 2021. Accessed January 14, 2026. https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=48296#

[vi] “World | Natural Gas Supply.” International Energy Agency. Accessed January 14, 2026. https://www.iea.org/world/natural-gas

[vii] “World | Natural Gas Supply.” International Energy Agency. Accessed January 14, 2026. https://www.iea.org/world/natural-gas

[viii] Ritchie, Hannah; and Pablo Rosado. “Electricity Mix.” Our World in Data. Accessed January 14, 2026. https://ourworldindata.org/electricity-mix

[ix] Ritchie, Hannah; Pablo Rosado, and Max Roser. “CO₂ emissions by fuel.” Our World in Data. Accessed January 15, 2026. https://ourworldindata.org/emissions-by-fuel

[x] Ritchie, Hannah; Pablo Rosado, and Max Roser. “CO₂ emissions by fuel.” Our World in Data. Accessed January 15, 2026. https://ourworldindata.org/emissions-by-fuel

[xi] Ritchie, Hannah; Pablo Rosado, and Max Roser. “CO₂ emissions by fuel.” Our World in Data. Accessed January 15, 2026. https://ourworldindata.org/emissions-by-fuel

[xii] Ritchie, Hannah; Pablo Rosado, and Max Roser. “CO₂ emissions by fuel.” Our World in Data. Accessed January 15, 2026. https://ourworldindata.org/emissions-by-fuel

[xiii] Millard, Rachel. “China pushes coal-fired power projects alongside renewables.” January 15, 2026. Accessed January 15, 2026. Accessed January 15, 2026. https://www.ft.com/content/103a731c-91cc-45bc-8769-ee4cadf3ce40

Source: https://capitalresearch.org/article/enemies-of-energy-fracking-and-natural-gas/