The Western Australian government’s decision to green-light fracking in selected areas aims to walk a line between industry interests and community opposition. But across Australia the picture varies widely.
The Cuadrilla fracking site in Preston New Road, Lancashire.
Danny Lawson/PA
Although fracking has been given the green light it’s still not known how common felt earthquakes may become and if communities are willing to accept them
Fracking was on the ballot in Colorado’s midterm elections.
AP Photo/David Zalubowski
Landowners told researchers that they lacked the knowledge, time and money to advocate for themselves, their financial interests and their property in negotiations over drilling leases.
Storage site for wastewater from hydraulic fracturing operations just outside Reno, Texas.
AP Photo/LM Otero
New research shows that injecting wastewater deep underground can cause earthquakes far from the injection site. It also raises questions about which rock layers are the safest injection targets.
Virginia Delegate Chris Hurst, a Democrat, at a Mountain Valley Pipeline protest before he took office.
AP Photo/Steve Helber
Luis Hestres, The University of Texas at San Antonio
Whether they aim to stop pipelines in Virginia or block Pacific Northwest export terminals, organizers are trying to ‘keep it in the ground’ to save the climate.
Oil drilling produces natural gas that often gets burned on the spot, going to waste.
AP Photo/Eric Gay
This new and more accurate estimate means that replacing coal with natural gas doesn’t do as much to reduce climate change as it should.
Gas prices usually rise heading into long weekends. The reasons behind wild oil price fluctuations, reflected at the pumps, is about a lot more than economics.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Research into Queensland’s Darling Downs area has found social stress caused by housing pressure, population shifts and the ‘two-speed economy’ of coal seam gas.
Shale gas exploitation in the US has helped cut is greenhouse gas emissions by 11%. A study explores what would happen if this were expanded globally, and the findings challenge conventional wisdom.
The French president said he would eliminate all coal-fired plants in his country by 2021, while his US counterpart is pushing policies intended to make them more profitable. Either way, the laws of economics will win.