Natural gas
Natural gas is the world’s third-largest energy source after coal and oil.
The biggest sources of natural gas are found in the United States, Russia and the Middle East.
A natural process
A fossil fuel like coal and oil, natural gas is made from plants and other organisms trapped beneath the surface of the Earth. Under intense pressure and high temperatures, these organisms have been transformed over millions of years.
A clean fossil fuel
Natural gas is cleaner than coal and oil. When incinerated, the carbon dioxide emissions are lower than with coal and oil – and almost all that is produced is carbon dioxide, steam and nitric oxide. For this reason, natural gas is the fastest-growing energy source in the world.
The future
Today, natural gas makes up 22 per cent of the energy produced in the world. This is expected to increase to 30 per cent by 2020.
Share of natural gas used to generate electricity:
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