Anything But Natural: Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Expansion Threats to Coastal and Marine Ecosystems
New maps and analysis from research organization Earth Insight and partners paint a sobering picture of current plans to expand Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) infrastructure worldwide, posing threats to the global climate as well as significant hubs for biodiversity.
Earth Insight, Say No to LNG et al. (2024). Anything But Natural: Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Infrastructure Expansion Threats to Coastal & Marine Ecosystems. CC BY-ND 4.0.
Please download the study below or access via the Earth Insight website.
Case studies and regional maps in the report show:
- In the United States, developments along the Gulf Coast will disproportionately impact communities of color in some of the poorer states of the country. These communities already experience poor air quality from operating LNG facilities and regularly suffer downpours and floods caused by climate change-fueled hurricanes and storms;
- In Mexico’s Baja California state, new LNG infrastructure threatens “the world’s aquarium,” home to 40% of all marine mammals in the world and many endangered species. If current plans go ahead, eight new terminals will be built in a region that is a whale sanctuary and is listed as a UNESCO World heritage site;
- In the Philippines, building new LNG terminals will add more pressure to the Verde Island Passage, one of the world’s most biodiverse marine places. The region, often called “the Amazon of the Oceans,” is already one of the world’s busiest marine routes and was hit by an oil spill in 2023 with devastating consequences;
- In Mozambique and East Africa, gas developments have already caused the forced displacement of local communities and new plans threaten several critically endangered marine species. The offshore expansion will take place along a coastline full of mangroves and coral reefs;
- and, in Brazil, there are plans to build new LNG terminals along the Atlantic coast, a region that is already cluttered with oil and gas infrastructure. Whale populations will be particularly affected, as the new developments overlap with their breeding grounds and migration routes.
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Earth Insight would like to thank our co-authoring organizations, Say No to LNG, CEED Philippines, Friends of the Earth Mozambique/Justiça Ambiental!, the Port Arthur Community Action Network (PACAN), Defensa Ambiental del Noroeste (DAN) Mexico, and ARAYARA Brazil, for providing support and useful feedback on this report.