Contested perspectives on fracking in the UK

The recent identification of potentially extensive shale-gas resources within the UK has generated a mixed response. On the one hand there are those who claim that the commercial development of these resources could play an important role in the UK’s future energy mix, reduce dependency on foreign sources of energy and stimulate investment in new jobs and businesses. On the other hand a number of community groups have been campaigning to oppose future shale-gas development by hydraulic fracturing (popularly known as ‘fracking’) because of a range of environmental concerns. With this in mind, this article provides a brief description of the character - istics of shale gas and fracking, outlines the geography of potential resources within the UK, and reviews the contested benefits and risks associated with the possible exploitation of these resources.