Scientists Urge Fracking Ban in N Australia

A group of 35 Australian scientists and experts have written to Australia’s Northern Territory government urging it not to allow the development of onshore shale gas and shale oil fields.

“As scientists and experts concerned about the wellbeing of the people of the Northern Territory, Australia and the rest of the world, we strongly urge that onshore shale gas and shale oil development does not go ahead in the Northern Territory under any circumstances,” the group wrote.

It argued that that the Northern Territory is likely to experience the most severe impacts of global warming and is highly susceptible to temperature increases. “In Darwin, the number of days over 35 degrees Celsius is expected to increase from 11/year currently to up to 308 in 2070 if emissions are not reduced. Heatwaves have killed more Australians than any other extreme weather events,” it said.

The Northern Territory tovernment announced the moratorium in September 2016 so that an evaluation could be done on the impact to the environment. The Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing in the Northern Territory is due to hand its final report to the government next month.

“The Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing in the Northern Territory has found that the development of a single new onshore shale gas field would increase Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by 5%. This is a large and unacceptable increase in Australia’s emissions,” the open letter read. “It is completely incompatible with Australia’s carbon budget and our commitments under the Paris agreement,” it said.

Signatories on the letter included Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine winner and Australian of the Year Peter Doherty; a former senior executive at Anglo-Dutch major Shell, Ian Dunlop; and a former chief at CSIRO Atmospheric Research Graeme Pearman.