Hydraulic Fracturing or ‘fracking’ is a technique to extract natural gas and petroleum from the land by fracturing rock with pressurized liquid. As conventional fossil fuels become more difficult and expensive to exploit and reserves look set to dwindle the discovery of these trapped sources of energy and the technique of fracking holds out the prospect of a new and plentiful and supply of energy and has been eagerly developed especially in the USA, Canada, and China. Unsurprisingly this development has attracted global interest but fracking also has caused great controversy with many groups being opposed to the environmental costs that they argue it creates. The UK government has recently allowed the firm Cuadrilla to conduct fracking in Blackburn and other companies such as Third Energy and Ineos have obtained fracking licences.

1. How does fracking work and how extensively is it practised across the globe?
2. What are the arguments in favour of fracking?
3. What are the main arguments advanced by those opposed to fracking?
4. What is the current policy of the UK and the EU in relation to fracking?

Websites

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/feb/26/fracking-the-reality-the-risks-and-what-the-future-holds

https://cuadrillaresources.com/about-fracking/what-is-fracking/

https://www.ineos.com/businesses/ineos-shale/

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/about-shale-gas-and-hydraulic-fracturing-fracking/developing-shale-oil-and-gas-in-the-uk

https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/oil-gas-and-coal/shale-gas

https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climate-change/fracking