It is generally accepted that around 80% of known fossil fuel reserves must stay in the ground if we are to avoid catastrophic climate change so why is dirty fracking even being discussed as a UK energy option ?
Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, UKIP and Labour seem to be living in a fracking fantasy land – fracking is a square peg that they are trying to fit into a round hole
Perhaps the only clue you need to know about the fracking industry is that pro-fracking politicians are going out of their way to avoid talking about fracking for fear of losing votes, it is the “elephant in the room” with politicians getting all Basil Fawlty-esque; “don’t mention the fracking”
Peel, who, somewhat laughably, are also “all out for shale” have a business model that appears to be highly flawed and they do not appear to have enough input into their plans from ecologists
Why are Peel, who have huge business interests in large coastal areas trying to bring an industry, that contributes to global warming and sea-level rise, that will immerse the land and their own business interests ? Peel seriously need to review their Atlantic Gateway plans, and the frustrating thing is that Peel could be advancing the North with a radical new heritage and environmental approach rather than business-as-usual toxic industry with no concern for public opinion or public health
The pro-fracking politicians that are enthusiastically cheerleading for this toxic industry should go door to door in the Barton Moss area and speak to the people of Salford to see what their personal experiences of fracking are, just at the exploratory drilling stage
Everyone in the North should google “Police Brutality on Barton Moss” to see what the fracking industry in action looks like, and research the Infrastructure Bill and what the implication might be for your land and community
Renewable energy, EcoTourism and the revitalisation of our ailing agricultural industry can bring far more money, jobs and benefits to the people of the North than the dirty fracking industry
The fracking industry are making predictions up to 2048, can you seriously imagine what the North would look like after 30 years of dirty fracking ??
The Northern Powerhouse concept might have been appropriate in the 1950’s but the world has moved on, the clue is in the name – fossil fuels, and divestment, the transfer of funds in fossil fuels to green industry – is becoming cooler than Beyonce! The environment should be the number one issue at this election as it something we all rely on, we all need to breathe clean air, drink clean water and eat food!
We don’t need a Northern Powerhouse, we need a Northern Greenhouse, a sustainable future for all, a plan for the North that embraces the new industries of the 21st century – renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and EcoTourism
The subscribers to the throwback “Northern Powerhouse”, including the Conservatives, Lib Dems, Labour, UKIP, Peel and the North-West Energy Task Force appear to be completely oblivious to the advice and warnings of international figures such as Ban-Ki Moon, The Pope, Mark Carney and the World Bank who are all informing businesses around the world to divest, which they are, in their droves, even the Rockefellers!
It is surprising that the Conservative Party – who like to be known as the “party of business” – and some so-called “business leaders” are making such bad business decisions such as backing dirty fracking, and trying to bribe Northern people into accepting fracking OUR shale in return for peanuts!
When pie in the sky figures about income projections and job predictions are thrown around in connection with the fracking industry, what they NEVER include is how much fracking could cost the economy in terms of the effects to public health, the tourism and agricultural industries, and how much the environmental clean-up might cost us
How about a democratic way forward for the fracking issue, a Fracking Moratorium – a complete halt to fracking activities in the North, with a 3 month full and frank public debate to be hosted in a Northern city where all sides of the argument can be heard and scientific evidence examined, concluding with a peoples’ vote
Now wouldn’t that be nice ?
thenorthernspring 