21st Jul 2014 13:58
LONDON (Alliance News) - A report carried out by the Scientists for Global Responsibility and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, published on Monday, has found that regulation of shale gas exploration in the UK has failed to protect public health or satisfy key environmental concerns.
The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health is a registered UK environmental health charity, providing information, evidence and policy advice to local and national government.
Scientists for Global Responsibility is an independent UK-based membership organisation of about 900 natural scientists, social scientists, engineers, IT professionals and architects, set up to promote science, design and technology which contributes towards social justice and environmental sustainability.
The report studied the potential local environmental and health impacts of fracking and the strength of its current regulation in the UK. The report also looked at the implications of widespread shale gas extraction for efforts to tackle climate change.
It found that UK regulation is currently inadequate and if improved could mitigate the risks of groundwater contamination from the fracking process. It also found that questions over how large quantities of necessary freshwater are transported to fracking sites are unlikely to be resolved.
The report claimed that fracking is unlikely to reduce energy bills in the UK and will instead force more reliance on fossil fuels, possibly reduce investment in renewables and could lead to job losses in other industries, such as agriculture and tourism.
The report went on to argue that community benefits have been exaggerated, and there is even evidence that house prices have fallen near fracking sites. It said that shale gas exploitation is dangerous and unnecessary, while it will most likely increase carbon emissions coming from the UK, without a global emissions cap.
In response, a spokesperson from the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change said: ?Public Health England, the Royal Society of Sciences and Royal Academy of Engineering found that risks associated with fracking can be managed if operations are well-run and enforced through regulation. The UK has a strong track record robustly regulating the energy sector and there are tough regulations in place to ensure on-site safety, prevent water contamination, and mitigate against seismic activity and air pollution.?
So far in Europe fracking has had mixed results, often being either controversial or unreliable. In the UK, there have been major protests against the method, which critics fear will pollute water tables in rural areas and may cause small earthquakes.
However, the shale industry in the UK is seeing a major push, with companies such as Total SA, Cuadrilla Resources Ltd, IGas Energy PLC and Egdon Resources developing fracking operations around the country.
By Tom McIvor; [email protected]; @TomMcIvor1
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