It was announced today that UK fracking has been given the go-ahead and a Lancashire council rejection has been overturned by the government. The controversial process that is fracking – the hydraulic fracturing of shale rock to release gases trapped inside it – has gained much media interest (and protest) as there are fears that fracking could be harmful. Fracking is believed to potentially cause earthquakes, water contamination, damage to the countryside and noise pollution, as well as being a backwards step towards tackling climate change.
Environmentalists have argued that efforts should be focused on cleaner sources of renewable energy, not fossil fuels, to keep in line with the Paris climate agreement to cut greenhouse gases.
This decision marks a huge step in the progress of fracking in the UK, particularly when Labour had previously stated that they would ban fracking if they came to power. Friends of the Earth have also challenged fracking with legal interventions, causing delays in additional fracking projects in North Yorkshire. Under a Conservative government however, it’s a green light for the controversial process. In 2014 when in power, David Cameron said that his government was going “all out for shale”.
Cuadrilla, the company behind the proposed fracking in Lancashire, state that the impact of producing a fracking site is “far less” than a windfarm, yet protests at the proposed fracking sites are expected.
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