Thursday 1 January 1970

Gas isn’t the ultimate solution but it can be the answer for now

Net zero will require a complete shift away from fossil fuels. But Sales and Marketing Director at Totalenergies, Mark Rose, told the audience at the Big Zero Show that although “gas obviously is not the complete end game, it is a transition fuel there to help in many ways.”

The energy transition is underway but Mr Rose said: “[The] world still uses fossil fuels – 81% of the energy needs come from fossil fuels.”

He believes that given the high demand for energy and increasing costs, it is becoming increasingly difficult to end our reliance on fossil fuels. He added: “We will really struggle to survive if we don't have fossil fuels to support us, certainly in the short to medium term.”

The solution, then, is to replace coal with gas until we find a better solution. He said: “40% of the world's emission comes from coal generation and although gas is still a fossil fuel, it doesn't emit half the carbon dioxide that coal does.”

Mr Rose said that although Totalenergies continues to rely on gas, it is committed to net zero. He added: “Our strategy is to continue to provide energy that the world needs, notably natural gas as a transition fuel to replace coal, while responsibly and sustainably accelerating the transition to low carbon energy solutions.”

The company is involved in several net zero projects, from developing EV charging infrastructure to new low carbon technologies, including Seagreen – their biggest offshore wind project with energy supplier SSE.

We must do our best to reach net zero. He added: “We have to be as active as we can and all play our part, whether it's solar panels on our roofs, batteries in our in our houses to try and reduce that demand.”

What does the future of Totalenergies look like? Watch the full video to find out.