If you have a strong passion for the environment, you want to burn as little fossil fuels as possible. Global warming is a very real threat to those who understand the science.
However, people on the front lines of the environment are some of the same people who are advocating against natural gas.
I admit that fracking can be a dangerous process when done wrong. There is always a possibility of ground water contamination. Ethically, I do not believe it is right for one area to be restricted of water resources for the benefit of others. If management creates plans and more secure ways to protect these resources, then natural gas may be something we should advocate for.
Natural Gas produces 2x less the amount of emissions as burning coal does. Which also means that it produces 2x the amount of energy that coal does. If we have the option to reduce the amount of emissions, for the same amount of energy, at relatively the same price, why not?
In terms of installing things, I have not really addressed. This article is strictly about why environmentalists should get on board. If I were to propose an idea it would be along the lines of subsidies but that is the role of our government to figure out.
All political movement is influenced but what the people express concern over. If we push for this, than there is a higher chance of decreasing our overall carbon footprint.
Natural gas brings together two groups that continually but heads: those who care about the environment and those who care about the economy. The current President may not believe in Climate Change but he does believe in industry. Since these are the cards the environmentalists have been dealt it is necessary to find compromise as opposed to sitting around and complaining.
We cannot expect people to just switch over to renewable resources right away. Sometimes it is just not practical. We all don't have the money to reroot our entire electrical systems or put in solar panels which are still expensive and undergoing efficiency upgrades. So if there is this transition source of energy it allows policy makers time to create solid plans to switch over.