The reserves
World natural gas reserves total 202,566 billion cubic metres approximately (data refer to 31st December 2014). Such reserves include the currently known fields that can be exploited through the technology available to obtain an economic profit. They are not the actual total underground resources still unknown to mankind or the extraction of which would be too expensive. Nevertheless, they can be a good indication of the rate at which resources are being exploited (and depleted). If the currently known reserves are divided by the yearly world consumption of natural gas (in 2016, amounted to 3,584 billion cubic meters), at the current exploitation rate reserves will be depleted in approximately 57 years. There are certainly still unknown field which may extend the use of this fossil fuel, however the obvious conclusion is that natural gas, just like oil, is a resource bound to be depleted.
(Source: eni, World Oil and Gas Review 2017)
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