The Coming Natural Gas Crisis

Summary

Natural gas use is rapidly increasing while reserves are rapidly declining. As recently as five years ago, producers and consumers of natural gas thought that natural gas was the abundant and non-polluting fuel of the future. Electric utilities were encouraged to use natural gas as the fuel for almost all new power plants. Now, natural gas depletion is a recognized fact for all of North America. 

The United States imports significant amounts of natural gas from Canada. This will not continue much longer. Both countries are uniquely vulnerable to natural gas depletion because consumption is high compared to reserves. North America does not have its fair share of natural gas. South America is only slightly better off. Most of the world's natural gas is in the Middle East and the former Soviet Union. It is expensive to ship natural gas across oceans in LNG ships, but soon that will be the only option. 

First Upload: 12 May 2004