Gas: The lesser of two evils or a viable option?
Gas, a controversial energy source, is widely regarded as a way for African countries to wean themselves off coal and reduce emissions. It’s known as a transition fuel but what does this mean? According to Cem Gürsan, a PhD candidate at the Nijmegen School of Management at Radboud University, in the Netherlands, a transition fuel is a low-carbon fuel (such as natural gas) which is substituted for a higher-content fossil fuel (coal and oil) to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Natural gas is considered as a transition fuel – a temporary solution to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions while more sustainable technologies mature. However, there is a major divide where many are opposed to gas but others are serious proponents of its use.