The impacts of climate change on domestic natural gas consumption in the Greater Dublin Region

Purpose - This paper aims to investigate the relationship between domestic natural gas consumption and climate change in the Greater Dublin Region. Design/methodology/approach - Based on historical climate and natural gas use data, a linear regression model was derived to estimate the impact of future climate change on natural gas consumption under different climate scenarios. Findings - Generally, under controlled socioeconomic development, the climate scenarios by Hadley model and the Ensemble GCMs are likely to decrease future natural gas consumption per capita and related CO2 emissions compared to present. These results indicate that climate change has become as one of the most important factors affecting the energy system. Originality/value - This study contributes understanding of the long-term impact of climate change on regional domestic natural gas use. It provides the national and local authorities a methodology to anticipate the potential impacts on domestic energy use and enable urban areas to maximise any benefits and minimise any losses from climate change.