{"id":11897,"date":"2016-11-04T15:32:34","date_gmt":"2016-11-04T19:32:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\/"},"modified":"2016-11-04T15:32:34","modified_gmt":"2016-11-04T19:32:34","slug":"fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Fracking: A Temporary Solution to Climate Change"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hydraulic fracturing, also known as \u201cfracking\u201d, has stirred political debate in recent years as communities and organizations have expressed concern over its environmental impact. Fracking is the process of pumping a mixture, comprised mostly of water, sand, and acid, into geological formations to break apart the rock and allow oil and gas to flow to surface more easily. The fracking of natural gas, mostly shale, wells has led to a surge in gas production in the United States, raising alarms concerning the contamination of the surrounding air and water sources. During this uproar, the major oil companies have shied away from answering questions regarding natural gas carbon emissions. The US\u2019s second largest oil and gas company, Chevron, has continually resisted discussing how regulations such as carbon taxes would affect fossil fuel production and climate change. [1] What most people don\u2019t know is that, \u201cgas, clean and highly efficient, is far better for the environment than coal, its main competitor\u201d [2], and Chevron needs to vocalize this.<\/p>\n

Shale\u2019s (Undeserved) Bad Reputation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unfortunately for the majors, some smaller, independent exploration and production (E&P) companies stained the reputation of the shale business in its early days when methane leaked from poorly designed fracked wells. The large E&P companies, including Chevron, are much more stringent in their safety and environmental standards, but have failed to call out this source of negativity toward fracking. Instead, Chevron has been “reflexively fighting any regulation, even reasonable ones,\u201d to \u201ccreate the impression of having something to hide” [2]. Chevron needs to start working with regulators in support of carbon taxes to shift energy production away from coal, which emits twice as much carbon dioxide emissions as natural gas [4]. Table 1 shows the relative greenhouse gas emissions for various fuels.<\/p>\n

\"Pounds<\/a>
Table 1: Pounds of CO2 emitted per million British thermal units (Btu) of energy for various fuels [3]<\/figcaption><\/figure>What About Renewables? <\/strong><\/p>\n

The technology isn\u2019t available to make them economical at a large scale. There \u201cneeds to be a wave of technological advances in the renewable energy sector for the industry to get back on track.\u201d [5] But at this time, \u201cthe hard truth is that if the country were to move away from natural gas, the big winner would be coal, not solar or wind\u201d [4]. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, increasing global demand in energy will force oil and gas to remain in demand for decades to come.<\/p>\n

\"Figure<\/a>
Figure 1: World Energy Consumption by Energy Source 1990-2040 [3]<\/figcaption><\/figure>The Solution<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chevron needs to follow the other majors (Shell, BP, etc.) in collaborating with regulators to save the reputation of the shale business. The public\u2019s skewed view of the negative environmental effects of fracking and shale gas production needs to be put into perspective, so that the shale business can be seen as a temporary solution to more environmentally harmful energy sources.<\/p>\n

In addition to cooperating with regulators, Chevron and other majors need to contribute to the technological advances required to further decrease the environment effect of natural gas. Specifically, \u201cDemonstrating carbon capture on gas-fired power would undercut the argument that shale gas is incompatible with long-term action on climate change.\u201d [2]<\/p>\n

The majors also have the ability to invest a large amount of capital in renewable research. Chevron is currently investing in geothermal energy, advanced biofuels, wind power and solar energy to create more renewable energy sources for future generations. [6]<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Energy demand is going to increase globally, and we will need to leverage multiple technologies and energy resources to meet that demand. Energy producers and consumers need to stop pointing fingers and work together to determine the optimal way meet demands with the least possible effect on climate change.<\/p>\n

(615 Words)<\/p>\n

[1] Bradley Olson, \u201cChevron Boss: Climate Change Could Help Business,\u201d Wall Street Journal, May 24, 2016, http:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/chevron-boss-climate-change-could-help-business-1464132869, accessed November 3, 2016.
\n[2] Robin Mills, \u201cGas Industry has a Great Story to Tell but Doesn\u2019t,\u201d The National, October 9, 2016, http:\/\/www.thenational.ae\/business\/energy\/robin-mills-gas-industry-has-a-great-story-to-tell–but-doesnt, accessed November 3, 2016.
\n[3] U.S. Energy Information Administration, \u201cInternational Energy Outlook,\u201d May 11, 2016, https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/forecasts\/ieo\/
\n[4] Joe Nocera, \u201cShale Gas and Climate Change,\u201d The New York Times, July 14, 2015, http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/07\/14\/opinion\/joe-nocera-shale-gas-and-climate-change.html, accessed November 3, 2016.
\n[5] \u201cTechnological advances in renewable energy,\u201d http:\/\/reports.worldfinance.com\/technological-advances-in-renewable-energy\/
\n[6] Chevron, \u201crenewable energy and emerging technology,\u201d https:\/\/www.chevron.com\/corporate-responsibility\/climate-change\/renewable-energy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fracking has developed a bad reputation as the boom in shale gas production fostered concerns in communities over the United States. Oil and gas producers need to work with regulators and the media to change this perception, and energy consumers need to understand the relative effects on climate change from the current available energy sources. Only then, can all parties involved work together optimize energy production and greenhouse gas emissions while meeting demand needs. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2475,"featured_media":11898,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[95,157],"class_list":["post-11897","hck-submission","type-hck-submission","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy","category-oil-and-gas"],"connected_submission_link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/assignment\/climate-change-challenge-2016\/","yoast_head":"\nFracking: A Temporary Solution to Climate Change - Technology and Operations Management<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fracking: A Temporary Solution to Climate Change - Technology and Operations Management\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Fracking has developed a bad reputation as the boom in shale gas production fostered concerns in communities over the United States. Oil and gas producers need to work with regulators and the media to change this perception, and energy consumers need to understand the relative effects on climate change from the current available energy sources. Only then, can all parties involved work together optimize energy production and greenhouse gas emissions while meeting demand needs.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Technology and Operations Management\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Rig.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1136\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"852\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\\\/\",\"name\":\"Fracking: A Temporary Solution to Climate Change - Technology and Operations Management\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/Rig.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-11-04T19:32:34+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/Rig.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/Rig.jpg\",\"width\":1136,\"height\":852},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Submissions\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Fracking: A Temporary Solution to Climate Change\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/\",\"name\":\"Technology and Operations Management\",\"description\":\"MBA Student Perspectives\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"性视界Action\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Fracking: A Temporary Solution to Climate Change - Technology and Operations Management","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Fracking: A Temporary Solution to Climate Change - Technology and Operations Management","og_description":"Fracking has developed a bad reputation as the boom in shale gas production fostered concerns in communities over the United States. Oil and gas producers need to work with regulators and the media to change this perception, and energy consumers need to understand the relative effects on climate change from the current available energy sources. Only then, can all parties involved work together optimize energy production and greenhouse gas emissions while meeting demand needs.","og_url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\/","og_site_name":"Technology and Operations Management","og_image":[{"width":1136,"height":852,"url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Rig.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\/","url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\/","name":"Fracking: A Temporary Solution to Climate Change - Technology and Operations Management","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Rig.jpg","datePublished":"2016-11-04T19:32:34+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Rig.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Rig.jpg","width":1136,"height":852},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/fracking-a-temporary-solution-to-climate-change\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Submissions","item":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Fracking: A Temporary Solution to Climate Change"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/","name":"Technology and Operations Management","description":"MBA Student Perspectives","potentialAction":[{"@type":"性视界Action","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hck-submission\/11897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hck-submission"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/hck-submission"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2475"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hck-submission\/11897\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}