Executives from Chevron and other fossil fuel companies said Tuesday that natural gas is the primary option for slashing the energy industry’s carbon emissions as a shift to emerging technologies drags on longer than expected.
Chevron CEO Mike Wirth, speaking on the first day of this week’s Gastech conference, called for a “balanced conversation” about changes in the energy sector and the role of natural gasbased on “realistic science.” He said the fuel can deliver reliability as well as lower carbon dioxide emissions, citing its role in power generation as coal plants are displaced.
“Cutting these emissions by switching from coal to natural gas could represent the single greatest carbon reduction initiative in history,” Wirth said in prepared remarks. “These reductions are achievable and not disruptive to national economies or individual lives.”