FORGET coal, it's too dirty. Forget nuclear power, it's too expensive and controversial. Forget renewables, they're too unpredictable. To meet our energy needs and cut carbon emissions we need an abundant source of clean, cheap energy, available night and day and in all weathers.

We may be in luck. Natural gas is such a fuel, and it's sitting right under our noses in abundance. Predominantly methane, it's the cleanest-burning of all fossil fuels (see chart) , so using gas rather than coal to generate electricity could halve greenhouse gas emissions from traditional coal-fired power plants.

But hang on a minute: aren't natural gas reserves depleting just as quickly as oil? And aren't most reserves found in countries that might not want to share their riches with the rest of the world? Back in 2006, a political spat in Europe led Russia to temporarily cut off its supply of gas to ...

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