The more one analyzes the statistics of greenhouse gas emissions, the more it is evident that fossil fuel usage is not a trend that is here to stay. .
Natural gas is a combustible mixture of methane and other hydrocarbon gases. Unlike other forms of fossil fuels, it is proven that natural gas is clean burning, with very few pollutant emissions (Davis). Our energy consumption for daily activities such as: cooking, heating and electricity usage are now mainly supported by non-clean burning fossil fuels. If we were to substitute these fossil fuels with natural gas, we could potentially cut down our greenhouse gas emissions by a substantial amount. Currently natural gas accounts for 30% of electricity production and 50% of home heating (Napach). Besides the fact that it is clean burning, the other essential perk of using natural gas is that it is a very abundant natural resource in the United States and does not need to be imported. The amount of natural gas that could potentially be recovered in the United States reached a record estimate of 2,384 trillion cubic feet at the end of 2012; an amount that could supply the United States (at current levels of consumption) for 105 years (Proctor). According to the U.S. energy information administration (E.I.A), Texas was the highest producer and consumer of natural gas in the United States with 7.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas produced and 3.6 trillion cubic feet consumed. Louisiana, Wyoming, Oklahoma, and Colorado were also listed as leaders in production as well as consumption of natural gas in 2011 ("Natural gas production by state"). The numbers relating to natural gas reserves are staggering.
What is the main driving force in the sudden growth and flourishing of natural gas production and harvesting? The answer is none other than the miraculous development of hydraulic fracturing. A technology that is so future-forward that it revolutionized the way we use natural gas as a resources altogether.