Burning natural gas emits less carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the atmosphere than other fossil fuels, but the process of getting natural gas out of the ground and delivering it through pipelines releases methane, a much more potent greenhouse gas than CO₂. So, Jonathan Camuzeaux and colleagues wanted to investigate the climate impacts of switching to natural gas in different types of heavy-duty trucks.

The researchers examined a range of assumptions for methane leakage and several different kinds of commercial, natural-gas truck engines. They calculated that switching heavy-duty truck fleets from diesel to natural gas could lead to worse climate impacts over the next 50 to 90 years than remaining with diesel due to methane's high potency as a greenhouse gas in the near term. But, they added, reducing methane losses from the supply chain and improving natural gas engine efficiency could make switching fuels climate-friendly.

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Materials provided by American Chemical Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Jonathan R. Camuzeaux, Ramón A. Alvarez, Susanne A. Brooks, Joshua B. Browne, Thomas Sterner. Influence of Methane Emissions and Vehicle Efficiency on the Climate Implications of Heavy-Duty Natural Gas Trucks.Environmental Science & Technology, 2015; 150519080024002 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b00412