Are energy companies' carbon neutral gas products truly green?
"Carbon neutral" LNG products offered by global energy companies make use of carbon credits issued by environmental projects working to keep CO2 out of the atmosphere. But some of these projects appear to be issuing credits far in excess of the actual amount of carbon they soak up. Carbon neutral LNG is designed to offset the carbon dioxide emitted when the gas is produced, delivered and burned, using carbon credits earned though environmental conservation projects. The first carbon neutral LNG product was developed by British energy group Shell in 2019. Carbon dioxide is emitted in the process of pumping natural gas out of the ground, liquefying it for transport and when it is burned for fuel. Shell buys credits equivalent to the amount of emissions produced, calculating the net global emissions of such gas as zero.