Deaths could be prevented but the price would likely be more greenhouse gas emissions, study finds
China’s push to convert coal into synthetic natural gas could prevent tens of thousands of premature deaths a year, but possibly at the cost of emitting more greenhouse gases, a study has found. The finding by researchers in China and the United States highlights the dilemma for the world’s second-largest economy as it struggles to balance public health and economic growth with its climate change commitments. Facing severe air pollution and growing dependence on natural gas imports, Beijing plans to ramp up production of synthetic natural gas (SNG) from coal. Natural gas produces far fewer of the tiny harmful pollutants emitted by coal-fired plants and small household coal burners used for heating and cooking. In a paper published in the, researchers at Princeton and Peking universities estimated that if SNG replace coal in homes, 20,000 to 41,000 premature, air pollution-related deaths would be avoided each year. Study co-author Denise Mauzerall, a professor of environmental engineering and international affairs at Princeton University, said use of coal-produced synthetic gas could help improve air quality in China but doing so would increase carbon emissions, “which would affect the world”.
