Is gas really cleaner than fossil fuels? Not anymore!

We are used to think that the circulating fleet powered by gas was less polluting than the others using fossil fuels. Not true. According to a new report, the use of fossil gas in transport «is as damaging to the climate as that of gasoline, diesel or conventional marine fuels».

According to a research by the Ong Transport & Enviroment burning gas in cars «produces atmospheric pollution equal to those fueled by petrol, while the advantage compared to diesel cars is eliminated» with the new regulations. The report also warned legislators that they must «accept the reality that fossil gas can not contribute to clean up transport and should start to tax it with aliquots similar to those applied to diesel and gasoline».

The study examined different aspects of the use of gas in engines used by cars and trucks. And the result rejected their alternative use to gasoline and diesel. «Considering the effects of methane leaks - a greenhouse gas - fossil gases could increase greenhouse gas emissions by up to 9% or reduce them to a maximum of 12% depending on vehicle used» the researchers added. They explained how in cars, the impact in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) of compressed fossil gas is «similar to diesel, while for trucks it is close to that of the best diesels». Maritime transport, where the impact of liquefied fossil gas is similar to that of marine oil, is also not missed by analysis, but these figures strongly depend on the methane leakage in the engine and the losses upstream of the supply chain.

In the European Union, on average, gas is taxed 76% less than diesel, while in countries with significant sales of compressed fossil gas and liquefied fossil gas vehicles, fossil gas benefits from even lower tax rates. On the other hand, biomethane and synthetic methane can have significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions, the report said, but the sustainable raw materials for producing biomethane (waste and residues) are limited and even at maximum potential this fuel would cover less than 10% of transport needs.