By Helen Robertson, Global Warming Policy Foundation
LONDON: Pro- and anti-shale drilling groups came face to face in London this week, as renewable-energy advocates and shale-gas supporters debated the environmental and economic issues surrounding its extraction.
Benny Peiser, head of the Global Warming Policy Foundation, told the Shale Gas Environmental Summit that the UK cannot afford to squander its potentially vast shale-gas resources by choosing not to develop them. He said Cuadrilla Resources discover of 200 trillion cubic feet (cf) of shale gas in northern England not only proves the UK's unconventional potential, but it could also have enormous economic benefits for the country.
“The UK may be sitting on a goldmine of abundant and relatively cheap energy that could supply its energy needs for a century or more,” he said. “A shale revolution could create a whole new energy industry, billions in revenue and thousands of new jobs. Cheap energy would make UK manufacturing more competitive and rising levels of fuel poverty could be reversed.”
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