Sustainable operation - natural-gas contribution
- Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (United States)
In view of the rapid pace of population growth in industrializing nations and the globalization of many commercial markets, cumulative environmental damages have heightened the responsibility of industrialized nations to use science and technology to help other nations achieve desirable levels of economic prosperity and environmental quality. For all nations, the challenge of sustainable development will be to use natural resources in an economic and equitable manner that results in minimum environmental impact over time. For these reasons, the expanded use of natural gas will continue to be prominent in the debate about policy alternatives for advancing sustainable development. As the cleanest burning fossil fuel, natural gas and its attendant supply and distribution infrastructure are characterized as important for many reasons including: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, generating minimal solid and liquid wastes during production, transportation, and consumption; serving as a transition fuel to a future with greater reliance on renewable energy sources; and for providing an industrial base for developing more environmentally conscious technologies. Other arguments for its expanded use have emphasized the opportunity to induce technical innovations and behavioral changes that are more compatible with sustainable development. The criteria by which society can design sustainable development strategies and determine whether environmental quality goals have been met will be key to the effective implementation of clean-fuel programs and expansion of natural-gas uses. This issue is timely, particularly with regard to how clean fuels can be nested within conceptual policy and planning frameworks that address sustainable industrial development more broadly. 35 refs.
- OSTI ID:
- 6814241
- Journal Information:
- United States Geological Survey, Professional Paper; (United States), Vol. 1570
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
NATURAL GAS
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
CARBON DIOXIDE
ECOLOGY
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
PRODUCTION
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
030600* - Natural Gas- Economic
Industrial
& Business Aspects