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<br /> 1 NOAA and NASA reported that 2016 was the hottest year on record for the global average, the third consecutive
<br /> record-setting year. "Earth sets heat record for third straight year,"Associated Press,January 19, 2017.
<br /> 2 "Global warming's fingerprints seen in 24 weird weather cases," Associated Press, December 15, 2016.
<br /> 3 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Climate Change 20013.- The Physical Science Basis, 2013.
<br /> 4 Dr. Robert Howarth from Cornell University stated at a December 13, 2016 press conference, "So the take-home
<br /> message is that shale gas and shale oil development in the United States is having a demonstrable effect on
<br /> atmospheric methane and that is causing the increased rate of global warming we're seeing."
<br /> Leading climatologist James Hansen has cited the "resurging growth" of atmospheric methane as a leading cause of
<br /> the recent acceleration of global warming. James Hansen, et al., "Young People's Burden: Requirement of Negative
<br /> CO2 Emissions," Earth System Dynamics, October 4, 2016.
<br /> 5 Fracking for natural gas leads to an average of 5.8% of natural gas produced leaking into the atmosphere over the
<br /> lifetime of the well. Dr. Robert W. Howarth, Cornell University, "A bridge to nowhere: methane emissions and the
<br /> greenhouse gas footprint of natural gas," Energy Science&Engineering, May 2015.
<br /> However, methane emissions rates have been observed to be as high as 12% over the supply chain from well head
<br /> to power plant. Howarth, "Methane emissions and climatic warming risk from hydraulic fracturing and shale gas
<br /> development: implications for policy," Energy and Emission Control Technologies, October 2015.
<br /> 6 Howarth (footnote 5) says 5.8% of fracked gas is leaking but methane emissions exceeding a range of 1.1% to 1.9%
<br /> of total natural gas production make natural gas worse than burning coal for electricity in terms of global warming.
<br /> Dr. Drew T. Shindell, Duke University, "The social cost of atmospheric release,"Climatic Change, May 2015.
<br /> 7 Fracking causes myriad negative impacts beyond climate change, including harm to air and water quality, risks of
<br /> explosions, and increased earthquakes. People across the US are already being harmed by this dangerous practice.
<br /> The natural gas industry is fighting regulation of methane emissions and drilling practices although this would also
<br /> protect the safety of its workers and local communities. This is why, while reducing methane emissions is the most
<br /> urgent and feasible measure, the total phase-out of fracking in favor of cheaper, clean energy is imperative.
<br /> 8 See reference to Dr. Howarth in #4 above.
<br /> Over two-thirds of all natural gas produced in the US now comes from wells that have been fracked (drilled using
<br /> hydraulic fracturing). US Energy Information Administration, "Hydraulically fractured wells provide two-thirds of US
<br /> natural gas production," May 5, 2016.
<br /> 9 The electric power industry accounted for 35% of US natural gas consumption in 2015. US Energy Information
<br /> Administration, "Natural gas explained: Use of natural gas," October 18, 2016.
<br /> 10 "EPA methane leak rules take aim at climate change," The New York Times, May 12, 2016.
<br /> 11 A 2014 study prepared for the Environmental Defense Fund found that over 76 firms in the US— most of them
<br /> small businesses— provide methane mitigation technologies and services. Datu Research, The Emerging US
<br /> Methane Mitigation Industry, October 2014.
<br /> Another 2014 Environmental Defense Fund study found that a 40% reduction of onshore US methane emissions is
<br /> achievable with existing technologies and techniques and would save the US economy and consumers $100 million
<br /> per year. ICF International, Economic Analysis of Methane Emission Reduction Opportunities in the US Onshore oil
<br /> and Natural Gas Industries, March 2014.
<br /> 12 Cornell University's Dr. Howarth has repeatedly said that, "The climate responds very quickly to methane, so if we
<br /> reduce our methane emissions from shale gas now, we will slow the rate of global warming, in fact, that is the only
<br /> way to avoid irreversible harm to the climate." Dr. Robert W. Howarth, Cornell University, "Methane emissions: The
<br /> greenhouse gas footprint of natural gas," September 2016.
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<br /> NC WARN:k P.O. Box 61051, Durham, NC 27715 . 919-416-5077 • ncwarn.org
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