Presenting the Other Side of the Shale Gas Coin in Poland
Food & Water Europe engages Polish citizens about the environmental and health impacts of large-scale shale gas extraction (Poland, October 22-27, 2012)
Food & Water Europe works to ensure the water we drink is safe, accessible and sustainable. This commitment led us to take the lead in a global campaign to ban the use of hydraulic fracturing to extract unconventional gas resources. This is why we initiated the Global Frackdown at the end of September. Over 200 actions in 5 continents brought together thousands of people to stand up against a new offensive by the fossil fuel industry to export its fracking technology. The response in Europe to this initiative was overwhelming with dozens of actions in 15 EU Member States. The Global Frackdown demonstrated that the movement against the widespread use of fracking is building. People yearn for a future fuelled by clean, renewable energy, not dirty fossil fuels.
This is why Food & Water Europe is deeply concerned about the strong push to develop shale gas on a large scale in Poland. The Polish government – together with the shale gas companies – have been drawing a rosy picture about shale gas, exaggerating the benefits in terms of energy security and jobs, while downplaying the risks and uncertainties about shale gas. The mainstream media in Poland have failed to provide a fair and balanced report on the risks and negative impacts of shale gas. Such lack of an open, balanced debate about the environmental and health risks of massive shale gas activities is worrisome. Given this situation, we decided to visit the Polish frontlines of shale gas development in Europe.
On October 22, we organised – together with Heinrich Boell Foundation in Warsaw – a successful conference to highlight the environmental and health impacts of shale gas industry. After a whole host of corporate-led conferences that promised ‘shale gas heaven on earth’, we felt it was high time for a wide range of Polish and international NGOs and academics to critically assess the ambition of the Polish government to develop its shale gas resources on a large scale. For the first time, Polish citizens were able to hear about the negative impacts of shale gas in the United States. The director of ‘Gasland’, Josh Fox, started the conference by offering a message of support to those who resist fracking in Poland. Josh Fox emphasized that the fight against fracking is not another NIMBY - Not In My Back Yard - phenomenon, because "whether fracking happens in my back yard or your back yard, […], there is no more back yard", especially in a time of accelerating climate change. Other speakers focused on how the Polish government has eroded the rights of private landowners and local communities to resist shale gas development, how shale gas licences are quickly adapted to meet the needs of industry and how there has been a total lack of debate in Parliament or with civil society organisations. In the debate that followed, some industry representatives claimed that shale gas development in Poland will somehow be different from the American experience. We also listened to the interventions of trade union representatives of Solidarnosc, who, to our surprise, vigorously defended the interests of the gas industry instead of defending workers and the population. Defending the shale business ventures of publicly traded companies like Chevron and PGNiG makes us think that Polish unions like Solidarnosc have strayed far from their roots! The discussion also turned to the feasibility of using shale gas as a low-carbon transition fuel and a replacement for Russian gas imports. While Poland struggles with an ageing coal-fired power generation and high prices for Russian gas, delivering a significant amount energy from domestically produced shale gas would require thousands of wells to be drilled in the next decade, something for which neither Polish officials nor public opinion are prepared.
Many of these criticisms of the political authorities should have been addressed to Poland’s elected officials. We have repeatedly requested meetings with the Ministry of the Environment, but these requests, and the invitation to the conference have not been answered. So, no representative of the Polish government was (officially) present. This only confirmed the Polish government’s penchant to develop its shale gas policy behind closed doors.
As the shale gas industry will have a huge impact on local communities, Food & Water Europe also helped to organise meetings with residents from the Kaszuby area in the north of Poland. Exploration has already started in the Kaszuby area, which is well known for its many lakes, farming and holiday homes. This beautiful area will likely be the ‘frontline’ of the first large-scale fracking operations in Europe. Small groups of local activists have not been afraid to raise their voices, despite being labelled as “working against the public interests of the state” by leading politicians (summarized in this article). In such a climate of fear, these local groups very much appreciated the presence of an international NGO. Our presence sent a message that their critique of fracking as a solution for Poland’s energy woes is a legitimate position, shared by many other groups across Europe and the world.
The meetings were well advertised beforehand and we anticipated a lively debate. Discussions remained civil, even though some groups brought pamphlets that labeled us ‘eco-terrorists from Brussels’. Two meetings were held in Kartuzy and in Lębork, where we presented evidence about the impacts of large-scale shale gas development in North America. The locals were particularly moved by the stories of the Canadian citizens whose life changed due to the start of drilling on their lands (“20000 Puits sous les Terres”) and the documentary “Gaz sous haute pression”. Both documentaries brought home the message that shale gas is an intensive form of energy extraction and this industry is not transparent. Our presentations helped residents understand that the information about shale gas so far has been overly focused on the supposed benefits of shale gas, while neglecting the environmental and health impacts. Local residents started to ask some simple, yet tough questions to the few representatives of the regional authorities, who responded to our invitation to attend: Where are the flowback fluids being treated? Why are public authorities relying on industry to organize information events? These questions often remained unanswered. Officials refer specific questions about the impacts of fracking to the industry “who knows best”. Another line of defence is that technological solutions will suddenly appear to save the day . We left these meeting with the clear impression that Polish officials at all levels – local, regional, national and European – have adopted the speaking points of the shale gas industry as their own and are failing to address the concerns of their constituencies.
In conclusion, the ‘good news’ show of the Polish government and the industry about shale gas has so far been successful in downplaying the risks and negative impacts associated with large-scale shale gas development. However, people that live and work in Poland’s future ‘Gasland’ are starting to ask questions about the other side of the coin and are not willing to sacrifice the Kaszuby area for Poland to drill its way to energy independence. A balanced debate about the risks and benefits of the shale gas industry is desperately needed in Poland, before large-scale commercial extraction gets underway. We, as Food & Water Europe, remain committed to keep nurturing a rational debate.
Geert Decock - Policy officer Food & Water Europe
Piotr Barczak – intern Food & Water Europe
Map of the trip:
