Natural Gas as the Best Energy Option for Climate Change Mitigation in Nigeria

Abstract

Natural gas is the best option for mitigating climate change in Nigeria.
This study shows that Nigeria is a global player in natural gas endowment
having the 9th largest gas reserves in the world. The study has highlighted
the various advantages of natural gas over petrol and diesel. These
advantages include that natural gas emits less carbon emissions, sulphur
dioxide, nitrous oxide and air particulates than other fossil fuels. Natural
gas is also cheaper and healthier as a domestic fuel and if well deployed
by households in Nigeria will greatly reduce thousands of annual deaths
emanating from cooking with dirty biomass and kerosene by most of the
households in Nigeria. This study shows that gas flaring is a sore aspect
of Nigeria’s gas industry and gas flaring is likened to assembling Nigeria’s
precious assets and setting them on fire. Nigeria will only benefit
maximally from her gas resource if the necessary gas infrastructure are
in place and if desired aspects of the Nigerian 2017 gas policy are fully
implemented.