摘要
Since 2011,a total of 121 power plants in the United States have stopped burning coal and switched to burning natural gas[1],which produces about 50%less carbon dioxide(CO2)per megawatt-hour of electricity generated than does burning coal[2,3].If current plans come to fruition,more than 170 new gas-fired generating plants could join them by the mid-2030s[4].These actions may reduce greenhouse gas emissions,but they were triggered less by concerns for the climate and more by the availability of cheap natural gas.
