Abstract: The environmental benefits of shale gas development and utilization come from the shale gas energy substitution for the coal energy.Therefore,the environmental benefit assessment system of shale gas should include the environmental effect of coal,and the assessment should be based on the environmental cost accounting of coal resources development and utilization.According to the environmental attributes of shale gas energy and coal energy,this paper constructs the assessment system of shale gas environmental benefits,and put forwards the evaluation model,what's more,this paper assesses the environmental benefits of shale gas development and utilization in China,and gives the result that one cubic meters of shale gas production would bring 0.60 yuan environmental benefits.Through assessment,this paper point out that the greenhouse gas emissions reduced sharply is the main source of environmental benefits,and the fracturing fluid is the largest environmental risk.In short,some means should be taken to control the environmental risk of shale gas development and utilization,which include strengthening the supervision of production links and improving management system,especially paying attention to the fracturing technology innovation.