Increased imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) could cause equivalent emissions to 16mln cars in the next two years, according to a recent analysis by research company Rystad Energy.
LNG imports increased by 65% in the first nine months of the year compared to 2021, after fears over energy supply shortages following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
However, the environmental impact of importing gas on ships rather than through pipes is massive, with the analysis finding the former causes up to 10 times the amount of carbon emissions.
Rystad’s Patrick King said: "By the end of next year, if Russia fully turns off the gas taps, and all that additional gas needs to come from LNG sources, we will see an additional 35mln tonnes of imported upstream CO2 emissions compared to 2021."
That would be the equivalent of 16mln extra cars on UK roads for two years.
To make it easier and more efficient to transport on vessels, gas is cooled to -160C, which sees it shrink by six hundred times, in a costly and energy intensive process.
This process sees LNG responsible for roughly 70kg of CO2 emissions per barrel, compared to 7kg from piped gas.