Are shale gas operators in Europe doing enough to address environmental and public concerns?

Environmentalists will argue they perhaps haven’t done enough. I think also most operators like Talisman and BNK would admit that, despite huge effort, they are failing in addressing public concerns. Here are a few suggestions of how I think this could be done (these were gleaned from my research with operators and stakeholders when putting together Shale Gas World Europe):

1. LEARN YOUR LESSONS

Shale gas operators too often repeat the mistakes of the past, failing to understand and learn from the history of public perception challenges in the industry. They must look through the lens of experience and think: What lessons can be learned and implemented from experience in the US and elsewhere? How exactly does the public perceive Shale gas exploration in Europe? Why? What did the industry do differently in the US to address public perception? Can this be applied in Europe?

2. ENGAGE

If operators want to attain political and regulatory support for new developments in regions/countries previously unfamiliar with unconventional oil & gas, they  need to engage with stakeholders on a whole new level. They need find out what communities will listen to, who they will listen to and why they would listen. They also need to use new media to communicate its message and not rely on stale antiquated pr strategies.

3. BE TRANSPARENT

To improve industry accountability and image, operators need to be open and transparent about their practices. This means, among other things, full disclosure of fracking chemicals.

There are probably a zillion more things they can do, but these are my top 3. Let me know what else you’d put up there.