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Study: Switching Heavy Trucks to Natural Gas Could Hurt Environment
A wholesale shift from diesel fuel to natural gas in heavy-duty trucks could cause decades of net damage to the environment, according to a research paper by the Environmental Defense Fund and Columbia University.
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A wholesale shift from diesel fuel to natural gas in heavy-duty trucks could cause decades of net damage to the environment, according to a research paper by the Environmental Defense Fund and Columbia University.
The study notes that natural gas produces lower carbon dioxide emissions than diesel fuel during combustion. But it says emissions of methane emissions from well to wheels could more than offset that advantage.
Methane decays more rapidly than CO2. But methane also is a more powerful greenhouse gas. The scientists say even small amounts of methane could "overwhelm" large reductions in CO2.
Without methane emission controls, the researchers warn, converting from diesel to natural gas would cause net environmental damage for 50 years. The span stretches to 70-90 years for a conversion from gasoline engines. The scientists concede that calculating the precise environmental impact awaits better data about the magnitude of methane loss.
The team's full report appears online in the American Chemical Society's Environmental Science & Technology journal.
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