Carbon footprint of global natural gas supplies to China

China's surging natural gas demand, driven by its coal-to-gas switching policy, necessitates a comprehensive assessment of its impact on global gas supply, demand, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study provides the first-ever well-to-city-gate GHG emissions estimate for China's gas supplies, analyzing 104 fields across 15 countries. Results reveal GHG intensities varying significantly from 6.2 to 43.3 g CO₂eq MJ⁻¹. Increased reliance on GHG-intensive gas from Russia, Central Asia, and domestic shale gas projects the average GHG intensity to rise from 21.7 g CO₂eq MJ⁻¹ in 2016 to 23.3 g CO₂eq MJ⁻¹ by 2030, with total well-to-city-gate emissions tripling. While securing gas supplies is crucial for China, concurrently reducing GHG intensity is vital to fulfill its emission reduction commitments.

Yu Gan, Hassan M. El-Houjeiri, Alhassan Badahdah, Zifeng Lu, Hao Cai, Steven Przesmitzki, Michael Wang