May 18, 2012 Brighton MP Caroline Lucas calls for temporary prohibition of shale gas
Caroline Lucas, the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, has condemned a report from the Energy and Climate Change Committee on the development of shale gas in the UK.
The UK’s only Green MP chastised the report for failing “to reach the logical conclusion of recommending a moratorium on shale gas”.
Caroline said: “Dismissing concerns, for example, on the grounds that UK regulations are stronger than in the States, while taking a ‘wait and see’ approach here is highly irresponsible.
“The report itself admits that the benefits of shale gas are limited, stating that although it believes climate emissions from gas to be lower than from coal, they are still far higher than from many low-carbon technologies and can therefore contribute little towards our long term emissions reduction targets.”
“In fact, research cited by WWF suggests that the greenhouse gas footprint of shale gas may even exceed that of coal.”
Caroline also pointed out that the report states onshore shale gas is unlikely to increase the UK’s energy security ‘very dramatically’, that offshore reserves are expensive and difficult to access and that exploiting shale gas diverts investment from low carbon technologies like wind and solar.
The Brighton MP concluded: “So instead of caving in to fierce lobbying by the gas industry, the UK government should follow the example of France and several US states by agreeing a moratorium on new shale gas exploration, at least until the environmental effects are fully understood – while urgently prioritising the development of renewables and energy efficiency measures.”
Follow @brighton_FP
