Natural gas is important in many sectors of the economy: for generating electricity, as a heat source for industry and buildings, and in chemical feedstock. Despite its vital importance to the economy, natural gas has often been overlooked, or at best taken for granted, in the debate about the future of energy.

Over the past two or three years, this has started to change, and natural gas is finding its place at the heart of the energy discussion. Given the abundance of natural gas available through extensive global resources and the recent emergence of substantial unconventional supplies in the United States and discovery of new sources in some countries, worldwide usage of the fuel is likely to continue to grow considerably and contribute to significant reductions of greenhouse gas emissions for decades to come, according to a comprehensive, multidisciplinary study carried out over the last three years by MIT researchers...