Power Engineering Int: Shale gas debate characterised by rhetoric and hysteria

Since the publication of an Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ policy statement on UK shale gas in September 2012, we have consistently called for a technically literate, well-informed and evidence based discussion on this topic.

What we are actually getting at the moment is a national debate characterised by over-hyped rhetoric and widespread hysteria.

If the country and individual communities are to make informed decisions on whether to allow shale gas exploitation to take place they need to understand the issues and have an opportunity to discuss them openly and sensibly.

It is therefore worrying that about two-thirds of those polled in a recent public survey commissioned by institution said they either don’t know what fracking is or indicated that they only have ‘some’ understanding of the activity.  MORE