We should learn the lessons of history and not repeat mistakes, as alternative energy sources to unconventional gas are available. In 17th-century England, when the advent of extensive coal-based industries were welcomed, there were few energy options available and no one knew what the long-term environmental and health costs would be.

That is no longer the position. The global public-health and adverse societal implications of continuing to use energy that generates greenhouse gases are well established, not fanciful.

Unconventional gas is not part of an energy solution; it is a major pollutant. It diverts cash, resources and expertise away from work on the more sustainable energy solutions that are now available.  MORE