US climate envoy Kerry backs gas as "bridge fuel"

The US special presidential envoy for climate John Kerry told the US Chamber of Commerce on January 24 that natural gas could serve as a "bridge fuel."

Kerry cautioned, though, that carbon capture and storage (CCS) and the elimination of methane emissions were needed to make the fuel clean. Failure to make these efforts undermines the case for investing in new gas infrastructure, he said.

"If it's abated, terrific. If you can capture 100% and it makes it affordable, that's wonderful. But we're not doing that," he said, according to the Washington Examiner.

The Biden administration has struggled to articulate a clear position on natural gas. Kerry in August last year said gas was not "anything near a long-term solution" to address climate change. Since then, global gas prices have spiked as a result of surging demand and underinvestment in supply, and the US is reportedly negotiating with companies and countries on ramping up gas supply to Europe in the event that Russian transit via Ukraine is disrupted.