Europe’s Warm Embrace Of LNG Raises Methane Emissions Concerns

Europe’s Warm Embrace Of LNG Raises Methane Emissions Concerns

BERLIN, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 09: (EDITORS NOTE: Image was created using a variable planed lens.) The ... [+] natural-gas fuelled Heizkraftwerk Berlin-Mitte power and heating plant of Swedish energy company Vattenfall on February 9, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. Natural gas has become a central issue for Germany in its policy considerations regarding the simmering situation over the Russian troop build-up on the border to Ukraine. While Russian natural gas makes up half of Germany's foreign gas imports, Germany is also Europe's biggest importer of Russian natural gas. Should war break out and western countries impose tough sanctions on Russia, Moscow could retaliate by temporarily cutting off Germany and other European countries from its natural gas supply. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) Europe is desperately seeking more natural gas imports in the name of national security but is scrambling to explain how this production fits into the global need to reduce damaging methane and greenhouse gas emissions. It's a good example of a growing issue: how energy resources may meet immediate national economic and security needs, yet could disrupt long term climate change goals. Europe's interest in more LNG imports is logical. Its dependence on Russian gas has become unworkable, given