Opinions remain divided over fracking suggestion
Our readers have given their thoughts on calls from Members of Parliament and the onshore gas industry to put an immediate end to the ban on fracking.
A meeting last week threw into the spotlight the 50 year supply of natural gas, valued at £6.6trillion at current prices.
Steve Baker, the Conservative MP for Wycombe, said: “As preparations are made for cement trucks to fill in the UK’s last functioning shale gas wells, it is obscene that Russia’s war crimes are being funded by Europe’s addiction to their gas.
“It’s already too late to solve this winter’s crisis but Boris won’t be forgiven for allowing energy insecurity and high prices to carry on year after year. We cannot allow our pensioners and the most vulnerable in our society to suffer from energy crises every year. We cannot allow industrial collapse under the weight of intolerable energy prices.”
Charles McAllister, policy manager at UK Onshore Oil and Gas, added: “A failure to develop UK shale gas could readily see the UK send £1trillion overseas to exporters of natural gas over the next 28 years, a hard pill to swallow for the UK’s communities as we jump from the Covid-19 crisis straight into one rooted in the cost of living.”
He added: “The industry stands ready to get to work again creating a reliable domestic supply of muchneeded natural gas. We don’t want or need subsidy; we merely need government to open their eyes to the strong case for UK shale gas development and drop this illogical moratorium.” A statement from environmental conservation organisation Frack Free Sussex said: “We are shocked that conversations are taking place to remove the fracking moratorium but much money has exchanged hands between the fossil fuel industry and our governments. “When this moratorium was put in place, it did not mean the fracking companies stopped lobbying our government.
“We think it atrocious that the industry and climate change deniers will use the current situation as a way to try and kickstart this dangerous method of trying to extract oil and gas.
“Our government must stick with the current moratorium. Fracking is unsafe and it will never be proved otherwise.
“To consider expanding the oil and gas industry at a time of irrevocable climate and ecological disaster would be, as UN leader Antonio Gueterres said, a criminal abdication of leadership. Fracking was banned because it poisons the air and water and produces dangerous greenhouse gasses.
“The war in Ukraine highlights the urgent need for a renewable energy revolution in Britain and throughout Europe so that we are no longer reliant on Russian oil and gas.
“The science is very clear that fossil fuel extraction is causing the death of our only life support system and if we don’t rapidly move away from fossil fuels millions more will die, as well as the mass extinction of species and the death of entire ecosystems.”
YOUR VIEWS
Here are some of the comments you shared on our Facebook pages.
Carla Eliza said: “Fracking is not the answer. Ever.” Amanda Michaels said: “Going to have to over the course of this year to increase our supplies and we do have enough so there is NO need to panic buy. We also have a great deal of green energy being developed & already here as well. I absolutely agree with Russian oil & gas & their products being stopped!”
John Hebditch added: “What we need is a combination of nuclear and more wind power. Tidal power and much better insulation of our homes.”
Greg Mountain commented: “There never has or will be any case for fracking. The position has not changed in the last seven years. It is uneconomic and environmentally unsound. It is not a short term solution to anything.
The world has changed and people should understand reality. Cheap and abundant fossil energy is a thing of the past.”
But not everyone agreed that frfacking was such a bad idea. Patrick N Horsford said: “End the ban.”
And Graeme Gadsdon added: “Use our own resources.” Dave Emsley said: “When individuals are going to be unable to heat their homes, drive to work and the cost of food and other essentials will also increase massively every option must be on the table. There is no ideal option but we are not yet ready to make a complete switch to green tech, much as I wish we were.”