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Frack attack!
Simon Oakes
Presentation title Frack attack!
Shale gas and fracking
KS5 Specifications and qualifications
AQA: ‘types of energy’ and‘patterns of energy supply’
Edexcel: ‘increased energy insecurity’
OCR: ‘the global energy mix’
WJEC: ‘the sustainability of energy supplies’
IB diploma: ‘changing patterns of energy consumption’
Presentation title Frack attack!
An overview
• Natural gas extraction through hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves the
high-pressure penetration of fluid into shale-rock sites, known as plays.
• Fracking produces shale gas, an unconventional fossil fuel.
• Technological advances helped fracking become cost-effective in the mid-1990s.
• The energy mix of the USA has been transformed by shale gas.
• Some predictions show the USA as the world’s biggest hydrocarbon producer by
2020, overtaking Saudi Arabia and Russia.
• The UK government wants to promote shale-gas production, because North Sea
gas production is in terminal decline.
• In France, fracking has been banned due to health concerns.
Presentation title Frack attack!
How is it done?• At drilling sites, the water, sand
and chemical mix is injected
vertically and horizontally to
depths of 3 km.
• The process triggers tiny
explosions that disintegrate
the hard shale to release
methane gas trapped inside.
The gas flows out to the head of
the well.
• Enormous amounts of waste
water are generated by the
process.
Presentation title Frack attack!
Three big fracking issues
Safety
•The local environment can
be damaged by fracking.
•Nasty effects include
methane leaks and filthy flow-
back water.
•Millions of gallons of used
fracking fluid must be
disposed of.
•Researchers found that some
of the 260 fracking chemicals
used in the USA are known
carcinogens.
Ethics
•Shale gas is a fossil fuel
and will not help us with
climate change
mitigation.
•The low cost of shale
gas encourages
governments to abandon
renewable energy
solutions.
•Is this the right course
for sustainable
development?
Security
•With peak oil fast
approaching, shale gas could
provide energy security in the
short and medium term.
•The Fukushima explosion left
people feeling scared of
nuclear power.
•Energy pathways to Middle
Eastern oil fields could lose
their strategic importance,
reducing geopolitical tensions.
Presentation title Frack attack!
The view from the UK
• The British Geological Survey estimates the
UK has 1,300–1,700 trillion cubic feet of
shale gas.
• Exploration is led by Cuadrilla and IGas. Both
companies are interested in northwest
England, where the Bowland Shale holds
400–500 tn cu ft.
• Large reserves lie below southeast England’s
Weald basin too. It’s a highly-populated area
of high property prices. Local opposition to
exploratory drilling can be expected. Protests
have already erupted in Balcombe.
Presentation title Frack attack!
Who else has shale gas?
Presentation title Frack attack!
The final verdict?
• Supporters of fracking argue that we face a greater threat from coal-burning
power stations — a new one comes online every week in either China or India.
• Increased use of shale gas, rather than coal, will at least reduce the
carbon intensity of global GDP growth.
• Shale gas could help ease the transition to a low-carbon economy, serving as a
bridge fuel until renewable energy sources begin to deliver.
• journalist Michael Brooks argues that there are two important decisions to
make. First, do we trust the regulators to do a good job in minimising the
environmental impact of fracking? Second, do we want to be part of the
generation that decided not even to bother trying to meet reductions in carbon
emissions?
Presentation title Frack attack!
‘Increased use of shale gas is the best way to meet
global energy security concerns.’ Discuss.
Essay writing adviceWhat is meant by ‘increased use of shale gas’? Will it be a major or minor part of the energy mix? Does the statement suggest substituting coal with shale gas, or using shale gas instead of renewables or nuclear? A good answer will question the scale of increased use suggested by the statement.
This is the key concept the essay is based around. So what does it mean? And what timescale do these ‘concerns’ relate to? The next decade, or the next century? This is something you should be thinking about early on in the planning stage.
The ‘discuss’ command requires a balanced answer, putting forward views in support of and against the statement. At A2, you should aim for a conclusion that agrees or disagrees with the statement (rather than hedging your bets and ending with‘maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, as there are costs and benefits’).
Best in whose view? Citizens? Governments? Businesses? Environmentalists who are concerned with climate change? From what other different perspectives can we look at the question? A top-band response will provide a clear account of the different stakeholders and their views.