Shale gas is promoted as a safe and clean energy source that can help Europe increase its energy security and provide an affordable transition to a low carbon economy. The US experience, however, has shown what serious environmental and human health concerns are related to fracking. Chief among these are threats to groundwater quality, concerns about how much water is needed, worries over fracking’s impacts on air quality, its causing of earthquakes and its potential impact on climate change.
This report by Friends of the Earth Europe examines some of the uncertainties of shale gas, including the gaps in existing EU legal and regulatory framework and questioning how shale gas can fit with the EU’s commitment to a low carbon economy, the cost pressures, and the influence of the shale gas lobby. The report argues that unconventional fossil fuels such as shale gas will increase our dependency on fossil fuels and also slow down the development of renewables and urgently needed investments in energy efficiency. Given the presented evidence and the significant related risks to fracking, the report calls for an EU-wide moratorium on shale gas.
Click here to download the Shale gas, unconventional and unwanted report (32 pages, pdf, KB)
The report was published in September 2012 by Friends of the Earth Europe with the support of the Heinrich Böll Foundation and Isvara Foundation.