Help local communities stay Frack-free!
Our current theme here at the Hub Our Shared Environment is all about celebrating the parts of our local and global environment that we love, and standing up for them.
One threat to our shared environment that particularly affects local communities here in the UK is fracking.
‘Hydraulic fracturing’, better known as fracking, is a way to extract shale gas contained in rocks underground by blasting the rocks apart with high-pressure water and chemicals.
At a time when we need to be breaking free from our reliance on fossil fuels, finding new sources of gas to burn is not helpful.
On top of this, the fracking process can contaminate local water supplies, and even cause mini-earthquakes. Read more about the problems caused by fracking from Friends of the Earth.
Unsurprisingly, local communities from Lancashire to Nottingham are resisting attempts by large corporations to frack in their area.
But the government is trying to bring in new planning rules, that would stop local people having a say in whether fracking goes ahead in their area.