Image: Carnival for a frack-free future. Rights: Reclaim the Power.
Two weeks ago, five grandparents from Bristol chained themselves together inside the Department for Business, Energy, Industrial Strategy to demand an end to fracking in the UK. These elderly citizens felt the democratic system had failed them, leaving them no choice but direct action as they attempt to leave a safe planet for their grandchildren. This week, hundreds will gather at a mass protest camp at the UK’s flagship fracking site in Lancashire. It’s clear the fight over fracking, and democracy, in the UK is intensifying once again.
Fracking: an industry we don’t need
The arguments against fracking - an extreme form of dirty energy extraction - are clear. It pollutes the air, risks contamination of groundwater supplies, and could harm children’s brain development. Not to mention earthquakes, as we saw in 2011. Beyond local effects, we need to leave fossil fuels in the ground if we’re to avoid irreversible climate change. Experts warn that should emissions continue to rise beyond 2020, or even remain level, the temperature goals set in Paris become almost unattainable. This makes a brand new fossil fuel industry which would carry on polluting for decades unacceptable. 2020 is also the year that renewables are set to be cheaper than fossil fuels in the UK, as the economics turn against fracking.
