Opinions are divided if natural gas is a boon or bane in the context of climate change mitigation. This article explores the arguments around what role this fuel, and so called “green gas” will play in a future energy mix. The analysis splits the natural gas resource from the associated infrastructure, and argues that the pipeline infrastructure may have an important role to play in the transition. Green gas has emerged as a solution that may play an important role in the future, provided costs can be reduced further. Both “green” and “blue” hydrogen, as well as biomethane are explored in this context. Relatively little analysis and exploration has been focused on the midstream infrastructure aspect, as opposed to the focus on the fuels use in the power generation or, for example, home heating. Much will depend on future technical issues, but just as importantly in the regulatory and policy space, and interactions with society and the environment.

在减缓气候变化的背景下，天然气是福还是祸，意见不一。本文探讨了围绕这种燃料以及所谓的“绿色气体”在未来能源组合中将扮演什么角色的争论。该分析将天然气资源与相关基础设施分开，并认为管道基础设施可能在转型中发挥重要作用。如果可以进一步降低成本，绿色气体已成为一种可能在未来发挥重要作用的解决方案。“绿色”和“蓝色”氢以及生物甲烷都在此背景下进行了探索。相对较少的分析和探索集中在中游基础设施方面，而不是集中在发电或家庭供暖等燃料使用上。很大程度上取决于未来的技术问题，