Not long ago, Boris Johnson, the right-wing extremist who rode Brexit to power, hailed fracking as “glorious news for humanity,” and urged the UK to “leave no stone unturned” in pursuit of shale gas.
But last Friday, Johnson’s government pulled the plug, declaring a moratorium on all fracking in the UK “until compelling new evidence is provided” proving it can be done safely.
Who ever would have imagined? Johnson is the Donald Trump of British politics, though a bit smarter and more self-aware. And the Conservative Party is almost as irrational, anti-science, and unpersuadable as the Republicans . . .
Well, maybe not quite.
At the time of Johnson’s comment, the only active fracking site in the UK was in Lancashire, England. The parts of the UK not controlled by the Tories – Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland – had already banned fracking.
But this past summer, fracking in Lancashire triggered multiple earthquakes, exceeding the government’s limits, and thereby forcing an immediate halt to operations.
That in turn led to a new scientific study by the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) which concluded that: (a) “it was not possible to rule out ‘unacceptable’ [health] consequences for those living near fracking sites;” and furthermore, (b) it was not possible to predict the magnitude of [future] earthquakes [that] fracking might trigger.”
Those stubborn facts just won’t go away.
It should be noted that the tremors in Lancashire were not that “large” in magnitude on the Richter scale. However, earthquakes triggered by fracking tend to be shallower than naturally occurring earthquakes, and therefore can cause more damage to surface structures.
It should also be noted that Europeans tend to give more credence to the precautionary principle (requiring compelling evidence that fracking won’t cause harm); whereas the American principle is to plunge ahead (until there is “proof” that fracking is causing harm).
Of course, this moratorium falls short of a permanent ban. But it is a major victory for environmentalists and community activists, who have been fighting an uphill battle against the industry for nearly a decade, with seemingly little hope of success.
As Rebecca Long Bailey, the Labor MP who serves as shadow business and energy secretary, put it: “When the Tory government overruled local democratic decisions to halt fracking, communities did not give up. When fracking protesters went to jail, communities did not give up. And now they have forced the government to U-turn.”
Which we should all take to heart. Our struggles matter, even when it seems that they don’t.
Just four years ago, talk about the climate crisis was so far out of the mainstream that it was not even an issue in the Presidential elections. And every conservative politician was still in full denial. I know I and so many others thought we were beating our heads against a wall.
Today, the issue is moving to center stage, not because of the media pundits (who still don’t talk much about it) but because of the people. Not only have most democratic Presidential candidates embraced the Green New Deal in one form or another, but even Conservative politicians throughout the world are coming around, increasingly admitting that climate change is real and requires some kind of government action. I hope to make this a topic of another diary, because there are so many instances. But just as a teaser: (1) a group of seven Senators – 4 Republican (including Mitt Romney) and 3 Democrat (including Chris Coons) have agreed to form a bipartisan committee to examine ways to fight global warming; (2) the New Zealand Parliament voted almost unanimously, including the entire Conservative party except for one dissenter, to pass a strong climate action package; and (3) some big banks are moving towards defunding fossil fuels.
For now, suffice it to say that the Tory government under Johnson did not merely halt fracking. The government also revealed plans for a major review of the UK’s transition to a green economy. The Treasury said it will assess how the UK can make the most of the economic green shoots which are expected to emerge while moving towards a carbon neutral economy by 2050.
Unfortunately, so much time has been lost. As geologist Professor Stuart Haszeldine, of Edinburgh University put it: “Pursuing the technology of fracking while embracing the concept of having a carbon-free society is an example of national schizophrenia. It has wasted millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money. It has also wasted a decade when we should have been pursuing other goals.”
Is it too late? More to come.