GAS EMISSIONS —
METHANE
1209. Hon TIM CLIFFORD to the Leader of the House
representing the Premier:
I refer to the response to question
without notice 1186—C1267—and the fact that liquefied natural
gas is predominantly methane.
(1) Does the Premier accept that
methane is a greenhouse gas?
(2) Does the
Premier accept that, according to the International Panel on Climate Change,
methane warms the planet 86 times more than carbon dioxide does?
(3) Will the
Premier concede that he did not take into consideration all factors relating to
gas emissions, including methane, in his response to the claim that gas
produces less than half the emissions of coal?
Hon SUE
ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) Yes.
(2) The
comparison of impact is dependent on the time frames for assessment, as methane
has a shorter residence in the atmosphere.
For example, the United States' EPA estimates the global warming
potential of methane to be 28 to 36 times that of carbon dioxide over
100 years.
(3) No.