Why Using Natural Gas for Energy is an Obstacle to Climate Progress November 15, 2023 Share In our fight to avert a climate catastrophe, we must phase out every use of fossil fuels that significantly contributes to global warming pollution. While coal consumption in the United States is on its way out and more people are turning to electric vehicles, natural gas has remained stubbornly persistent. Approximately one-third of the country’s primary energy needs are supplied by natural gas, with most of that going to generating electricity, heating homes and buildings, and acting as a feedstock for industrial purposes.