Life Cycle Assessment and shale gas Sample Clauses

Life Cycle Assessment and shale gas. Let us discuss why LCA should be applied to shale gas. Energy policies are based on three core dimensions – energy security, energy cost and (primarily environmental) sustainability. Energy policy-makers in all countries aim to achieve the same three objectives: maximising security of supply, minimising cost, and minimising environmental impacts. These three policy goals constitute a ‘trilemma’, entailing complex, interwoven links between public and private actors, governments and regulators, economic and social factors, national resources, environmental concerns and individual behaviours. Delivering policies, which simultaneously address energy security, the cost of energy and socially and environmentally sensitive production and use of energy is arguably one of the most formidable challenges facing government and industry. Because shale gas is an indigenous resource, much less concentrated than conventional fossil fuels and even conventional resources of uranium, it can contribute to increasing the security of supply of countries with no or little fossil reserves and under-exploited renewable energies. However, the cost of shale gas and its potential to positively affect global and domestic gas and electricity prices remains still uncertain; it appears promising, but more practical experience is required before reaching definitive conclusions. To support the case for shale gas extraction and use, its environmental impacts, especially relative to other energy sources, must be quantified and analysed to determine its environmental sustainability, with a special focus on greenhouse gas emission. The LCA provides the most appropriate tool for this task.