NYTimes: Uphill Battle in Europe Over Fracking

A recent lecture on energy and climate change at the London School of Economics and Political Science by John Browne, the former chief executive of the oil giant BP, showed how contentious the debate on the merits of extracting natural gas from shale rock has become in Britain and Europe.

Shale gas could play a key role in Europe’s future energy mix. Europe is a big importer of gas, and countries like Britain, Poland and France are thought to have the potential to produce large quantities of the fuel — although how much will not be known until after extensive drilling. Shale gas might even benefit the environment if used as an alternative to coal, a fuel that emits more carbon dioxide when burned, Mr. Browne suggested.

But winning over Europe is proving difficult. Mr. Browne is known for being early among his peers to acknowledge the role that consuming fossil fuels plays in raising global temperatures, but for some in the audience, all that mattered was that he serves as chairman of Cuadrilla Resources, a company that has led exploration for shale gas in Britain.

Environmental groups like Greenpeace oppose creating a new source of energy from fossil fuels, while local groups fear that drilling would disrupt their lives and pollute their water supplies.  MORE