Promoting natural gas may delay rather than enable a clean-energy transition

Evidence

One study posits that focusing on natural gas as an abundant, cheap source of energy is a distraction from investing resources to develop renewables (Magill, 2014). Hal Harvey, the CEO of Energy Innovation, voiced this concern: “Will it be a transition to a clean energy future, or does it defer a clean energy future?” (Friedman, 2012). With the fossil fuel industry wielding strong influence over lawmakers, deferral is the more likely option. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2750

Categorization

• QUESTION: The ‘bridge fuel or dead end’ framing is worth chasing — what evidence actually distinguishes transition from deferral?
• XREF: Connects to the incentive-distortion theme in the law-merchant and trust texts: industry influence skews what gets built.