UK study raises questions about shale gas sustainability

(Credit: anita_starzycka via CC)

The research, which looked at economic and social factors as well as environmental costs, placed shale gas seventh out of nine forms of generation, including coal, natural gas, nuclear and various renewables. To become the most sustainable option, the study claims fracked gas would need a 329-fold reduction in environmental impacts and a 16-fold increase in employment.

“Many countries are considering exploitation of shale gas but its overall sustainability is disputed,” said Prof Adisa Azapagic, from Manchester’s School of Chemical Engineering & Analytical Science. “Previous studies focused mainly on environmental aspects of shale gas, largely in the US, with scant information on socioeconomic aspects.

“To address this knowledge gap our research, for the first time, looks not only at the environmental impacts but the economic and social aspects of shale gas as well. This enables us to evaluate its overall sustainability rather than focusing on single issues, such as water pollution, traffic and noise, which have dominated the debate on shale gas so far.”