VARNEY: We were always told that coal is the dirtiest fuel, that there are more CO2 emissions from coal than from natural gas. Is that no longer true?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 19, 2026
BURGUM: It's true, but then the question goes back to the reversal of the endangerment finding, which is, is CO2 a pollutant or… pic.twitter.com/NjOW1UZhRZ
This is the world we live in.
Republicans, 1988:
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/JD093iD08p09341
Republicans, 2026:
Above
Just to clarify, for those who aren’t clued in on the nuances:
Yes, fossil gas—no more natural than coal or arsenic—emits less CO2 than coal. But fossil gas is essentially methane with impurities. Methane has a warming power many times worse than CO2, and because the drilling and distribution system leaks everywhere, enough methane is emitted to equal or surpass coal’s warming. The methane degrades faster than CO2, which is mostly absorbed by oceans and then by rock weathering over a thousand years; the methanes degrades much faster—into CO2. oops. So how many times worse methane is than CO2 depends on the time scale used to measure it—80 times worse over 20 years, etc.
Coal is far worse for other deadly pollutants—lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, PM2.5… but the serious effects of gas, especially fracking, are bad too, very long term, and still being discovered.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K2oL4SFwkkw
BTW, a couple of years ago it turned out a lot more methane was emitted by coal mines that had been known. But “which is worse?” is a pointless question. Thinking we can substitute gas for coal is worse than useless, as it convinces people the problem is being taken care of. Since gas is about as bad as coal for climate, that only makes the problem worse.
We have to eliminate all fossil fuels as fast as humanly possible.