Fracking

[poliphilo]

It's a violent word. Onomatopaeic. It sounds like something you'd do to an enemy.

I'm against it instinctively- as I'm instinctively against the felling of trees to build motorways. The time I threw my parents-in-law out the house was because of a silly argument that developed out of Dot saying she'd like to feed Swampy to the crocodiles.

Swampy: remember him? Teenage green activist- notable for living in burrows and not washing very much. I wonder what he's doing now?

Besides, Cameron is in favour of it. There's a headline this morning that has him saying he wants to do it not only in the distant, Labour-supporting North (a far off country of which we know little) but also in the South.  If Cameron is in favour of anything you know it's because there's money in it for his disgusting corporate friends.

We felled the forests, we dug up all the coal, and now we're going to smash the shale beds. It won't be pretty. There may be earthquakes, there will very probably be water pollution, there's always a cost attached to these things. Sooner or later we're going to have to stop grubbing after non-renewable resources- because here won't be any left- and get properly serious about harnessing the renewable ones- like sunshine.

Comments

Re: A-Z of beauty.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Not according to Wikipedia.

They have him living in a yurt in Wales and still turning up regularly at protest camps.

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

Something I've been thinking about lately too... We're sitting right over some very large reserves of shale gas here in Dorset.

I don't see how the gas can be removed profitably if the companies abide by our stringent EU environmental protection laws, which can only mean that in addition to tax breaks, the fracking companies will end up receiving vast government subsidies.

And if we're going to subsidise anything, I'd far rather it was a source of energy that didn't release methane into the atmosphere.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

If we're going to have to subsidize the operation I think we'd be better off owning it.

That is, assuming we want to go down this road in the first place.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Which, as you say, we would be foolish to do. This is one of those areas where the Tories may have to choose between lining their own pockets and the poll ratings. My guess is they will opt unerringly for the former.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Money or power? It's a tricky one, that.

[resonant.livejournal.com]

The UK is ideally suited to benefit from renewable power. There's an interesting book (free to download) that shows it's feasible to mostly convert using current technology (current usage 195 kWh/day/person, possible production with renewables 180 kWh/day/person).

http://www.withouthotair.com/

NOTE: I do have a bias, as my company makes solar panels, wind turbine inverters, and other greentech equipment.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the download. I'll take a look at that. This is a field in which I need to be educated.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

This absolutely!

Fracking is a classic piece of greedy short termism by the so called 'wealth creators' and shale beds are only partly developed geological systems.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

And who exactly are they creating wealth for?

Bah!

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Themselves, naturally and the rest of us can go hang.

[kishenehn.livejournal.com]

Fracking is a huge issue out in my part of the world, as well ... and it's terrifying.

But a handful of people can make giant wads of money from it all ... so I guess that's all that matters. :/

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid you're right. There is no higher good in our society than that a small bunch of stinking rich people should get even stinkier.

[zoe-1418.livejournal.com]

Highly quotable line: "Sooner or later we're going to have to stop grubbing after non-renewable resources- because here won't be any left- and get properly serious about harnessing the renewable ones- like sunshine."

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

[sovay]

Sooner or later we're going to have to stop grubbing after non-renewable resources- because here won't be any left- and get properly serious about harnessing the renewable ones- like sunshine.

We were supposed to be doing that when I was in grade school. I didn't expect to grow up into a world that wants to dynamite itself just to avoid changing over to technologies we've known for decades work.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I find it really frustrating. Humankind- considered en masse- is quite extraordinarily stupid.

[qatsi.livejournal.com]

It's hard to see how this position squares with his desire to be "the greenest government ever".

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'd forgotten about that. I expect Cameron has forgotten about it too.

[chochiyo-sama.livejournal.com]

Fracking is a form of selling one's soul to the devil. You appear to get a good price, but in the end you are screwed.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That's what I'm afraid of.