Sheffield Climate Alliance Anti-Fracking petition will be presented to Sheffield Full Council on 5 June at 2.00 – join us in the public gallery if you wish.
We have 350 signatures so far. One last chance…..
We are calling on the council to oppose new fossil fuel extraction such as hydraulic fracturing (fracking), but also coal bed methane and coal bed gasification which are more likely in Yorkshire and Derbyshire. The government is now supporting this new gas extraction with public money.
However, there are already five times more fossil fuel reserves than can safely be burned if we wish to have a good chance of avoiding catastrophic climate chaos. The science of this is set out in a new American film Do the Math that can we viewed free of charge here.
Fracking uses large quantities of water mixed with chemicals applied under high pressure. 750 chemicals have been used in the US, including the carcinogen benzene.(1) Afterwards there is a large quantity of highly polluted water that needs to be treated. These gas extraction processes can also cause air and land pollution and can also cause earth tremors.
New research shows that 6000 new jobs and a 300 million pound increase in annual economic activity could be created in the city region by investment in low carbon industries.(2) This cannot be matched by the small short term gains offered by new fossil fuel extraction which are both financially(3) and environmentally more risky.
For more information also see:
http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/climate/issues/fracking_background_information_33157.html
1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_additives_for_hydraulic_fracturing
2. The mini-Stern Review for Sheffield City Region is available at: http://www.lowcarbonfutures.org/low-carbon-cities
3. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/apr/19/carbon-bubble-financial-crash-crisis?INTCMP=SRCH