As the energy crisis bites, could fracking ever actually work?

Science Weekly

The Guardian

Science

4.2 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 22 March 2022

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The average family’s energy bill will soon be increasing by 54% in the UK, amid soaring energy prices caused in part by Covid-19 lockdowns and Vladimir Putin’s decision to reduce gas exports prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In response, the UK government is considering all its options to secure its energy supplies and dampen costs – including fracking. But could fracking really provide any kind of solution? Anand Jagatia speaks to the Guardian’s environment editor, Damian Carrington, about how fracking works, why it is back on the table, and whether it could ever be a viable option. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the Guardian.
0:05.0	Hello, Guardian columnist Jonathan Friedland here.
0:10.0	I now have my own US politics Podcast which is helpfully called Politics Weekly America.
0:18.0	So if you want to hear my interviews with politicians like Hillary Clinton or expert analysis from Guardian journalists and the latest news from Washington DC and beyond you should subscribe.
0:30.0	To do that just type Politics Weekly America into Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your
0:36.2	podcasts.
0:37.2	We'll be there every Friday. Ignat the Explorer and you and plan your next trip to Texas, where outer space meets fast deserts, rodeo meets classical ballet, and where you can
0:57.0	meet adventure. Experience the thrill of a Texas rodeo. Sample your way around the local food scene or tore the diverse
1:04.4	landscapes of the state's grand national parks. Uncover more at the
1:08.5	Guardian.com forward slash Discover Texas. This message was paid for by Travel Texas, visit Austin,
1:14.3	Visit Dallas, visit Houston and visit Fort Worth.
1:17.0	Fracking has always been a contentious issue.
1:29.0	In places where it's been proposed,
1:31.0	it's usually been met with fierce opposition from local
1:33.9	communities. We said no! Today was the day Energy Company Quadrilla was due to
1:40.7	begin work at their sight at farmland at the edge of Blackpool and it was
1:46.5	the day protesters chose to make another stand against it.
1:50.0	And in 2019 it seems like the issue could soon be settled when the government banned any
1:55.4	further use of the technique for extracting oil and gas.
1:58.9	Fracking was suspended at this site in Lancash year in August after a magnitude 2.9 earthquake.
2:05.0	Three months of uncertainty later and the government has now called a halt to shale gas extraction,
2:11.2	quote, until and unless it's proved safe.
	...

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