Vox Populi
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How the Fracking Industry is Threatening the Planet
A Summary of a Report from Friends of the Earth.
While much has been written about fracking in North America and in the EU, a new report from Friends of the Earth seeks to provide a global overview of shale gas development in the rest of the world, focusing on a selection of the 42 countries identified by the US Energy Department as having shale oil and gas potential. It concentrates specifically on 11 of these countries: Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, South Africa, China, India, Indonesia and Russia. These countries include seven of the top ten countries for technically recoverable shale gas resources, and are among the leaders in shale development on their respective continents. These countries also reveal the variety and specificity of the dangers associated with the expansion of the fracking industry, including environmental, social and health consequences which extend beyond the borders of individual countries.
The report finds that even though fracking is only just starting to get underway in most of the countries analyzed, public opposition to this industry is already growing and becoming more organized, bringing together a wide range of different actors such as environmentalists, trade unions, political parties, women’s organizations and indigenous community representatives. In some countries, notably in Brazil and Argentina, local authorities have also started to adopt anti-fracking resolutions, triggering a domino effect as others follow suit, as already witnessed in North America and Europe. The South African government also stopped the development of shale gas in the Karoo region for some time, in order to get more clarity about potential impact.
Energy demand is growing worldwide, creating a major challenge for political decision- makers and civil society alike. The countries analyzed in this report are no different. The dangers of climate change are creating pressure to curb coal production, and this pressure is given added weight in countries such as China, where air pollution has reached critical levels. At the same time, countries which have a long history of oil and gas development (such as Algeria and Argentina) have seen their production levels peak, and are now facing a decline. These countries are now looking for ways to “stimulate” their remaining fossil fuel resources. The opportunity to extract shale oil and gas by fracking is seen as a way to extend production and benefit the economy.
Such a strategy, however, raises serious questions in terms of sustainability, at a time when experts state that no more than one-third of proven fossil fuel reserves can be consumed if we want globally to avoid reaching the 2°C temperature rise tipping point. While gas is often promoted as an ideal source of energy for the transition to decarbonising our energy systems, the most recent science has shown that gas production and transportation are far from clean and that unconventional gas could even be comparable to coal in terms of climate impact. The International Energy Agency, among others, ha warned that the widespread development of shale gas at the global level would have a negative climate impact.
The emerging planned expansion of the shale gas industry outside the EU and North America raises serious concerns because of the almost unavoidable environmental, social and health impacts already seen at existing fracking sites. Given that these problems have proved difficult to avoid in countries with relatively strong regulations to protect the environment, how can this industry be properly monitored in countries where environmental standards are often lower (and sometimes non- existent), and/or where enforcement capacities are frequently limited and where corruption can be an everyday reality?
The short-sighted approach of promoting the development of shale oil and gas in the rest of the world not only ignores the significant and almost inevitable environmental, social and climate impacts, but also overlooks the opportunity for longer term, more sustainable solutions. The urgent need to shift to a low carbon development path requires investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. For the EU, this creates a responsibility as well as an opportunity to support these countries in moving towards a post-fossil fuel future, which is now not only necessary but also feasible.
To read the entire report, click here.
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