The third part in our series in which Nick Grealy, of No Hot Air, tests the weight of some of the biggest arguments pitted against fracking.

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#3 – Shale Gas will prevent the emergence of renewable energy

While the uncertainty over the long-term environmental impact of Shale continues, others fear the excitement over this new potential energy boom could take the stage away from fledgling renewable alternatives. But when we seem to be on the brink of an energy apocalypse is there any reason to believe this might be the case? Public awareness of environmental issues is surely at a peak and usage monitors and “energy-efficient” upgrades are a booming business – everywhere you turn you seem to be reminded of our impending energy crisis. As a spokesperson for IBM’s smarter planet analytics summated earlier this year “We’re now at the stage where we have to do everything”.

And while many have argued Shale has provided an easy get-out for governments, biding them time before they really need to offer viable long-term solutions to source and sustain energy, supporting fracking isn’t a popular option and renewables remain the prettier, younger alternative. There seems to be no evidence of research and development in these areas slowing up and, crucially, our energy consumption massively outweighs our production by green methods and we substitute this with other fossil fuels which are arguably much worse for the environment. Shale Gas is certainly likely to be lucrative business if authorities allow it to go ahead, but why does that mean renewables won’t be? And as it stands it’s also the most realistic alternative to coal and oil next to nuclear.

This post is part of our series: 12 myths surrounding shale gas production, by Nick Grealy. Download the ebook here >