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AFTERNOON TEA
Clearing the Air: Natural Gas Leads in Cutting Emissions
Today, we are talking about the next in our Back to Basics series exploring TEA’s guiding principle: We believe there are four pillars to every American’s energy birthright, and it is our obligation to ensure every citizen benefits from America’s vast natural resources.
The second of those four pillars is: Clean Energy for Our Future.
We’ve been drowning in the horror stories for years now of a stark future decimated by climate change. We’ve been told that if we don’t completely transition away from traditional energy sources to costly and unreliable renewable energy that our world will literally end.
But, the reality isn’t nearly as stark nor extreme. There is nothing Americans value more than this beautiful, vast country of ours. Enjoying her is our right and protecting her is our responsibility. And, that’s why we’ve already made huge strides to protect our environment and to be a world leader in lowering emissions.
- Since 1970, combined emissions of key pollutants have dropped by 78% in the U.S.
- Increased use of natural gas for electricity generation is the top reason for U.S. power sector emissions reductions over the past 17 years—almost double the impact compared to renewable power generation.
- CO2 emissions from homes that use natural gas for heating and appliances are about 22% lower than those from an all-electric home.
- Since 1990, emissions from the natural gas distribution system have declined 69%.
The reality is that we’ve built a cleaner environment and lowered emissions BECAUSE of increased use of American energy like natural gas. With advances in technology and improvements on what already works, we can build an energy future that provides a clean environment for future generations while also providing affordable, reliable energy for American families now.
Check out more about the basics of TEA’s common sense energy movement.
