Shale gas exploration in the U.K. lacks adequate regulation to protect public health and the environment including water shortages, according to a report by scientists. Exploitation of the resource may also undermine efforts to tackle climate change, according to the document published today by the Scientists for Global Responsibility and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.
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The shale revolution is going global. From the Australian outback to the Argentine Andes, many of the world’s largest energy companies are on the hunt for new sources of what they call unconventional oil and natural gas. The multibillion-dollar investments, which often involve hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, could change the face of the global energy markets. China and Russia have some of the largest shale oil and gas reserves in the world, according to the United States Energy Information Administration.
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A maggio, il prezzo del Brent è aumentato dai 108.05 dollari al barile [$/b] ai 109.55$/b (massimo 110.53$/b il giorno 23) mentre il Wti è cresciuto dai 99.19$/b ai 102.9$/b, con un picco a 104.37 il 27 maggio, sulla scia delle guerre civili in Ucraina e Libia. Abitualmente, un aumento del costo del petrolio porta a un deprezzamento del dollaro (mantenendo così inalterati i profitti). Questa volta però il biglietto verde si è apprezzato, chiudendo a 1,3607€/$ (dopo aver toccato addirittura quota 1,3953 in data 8 maggio), probabilmente scontando le prossime scelte di politica monetaria espansiva da parte della Bce, attese per il 5 giugno.
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The shale-gas revolution is bringing a host of benefits to the U.S., including greater energy independence, reduced carbon emissions, and a resurgence of the country’s energy intensive sectors—especially petrochemicals. So far, however, relatively few other countries have taken the shale gas plunge—but that seems poised to change. As more countries take advantage of the substantial shale reserves they possess within their own borders, they will face a number of challenges.
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FOR all the debate about it, Britain’s shale-gas industry is minuscule. Whereas roughnecks in America have sunk many thousands of wells since a boom began more than a decade ago, Britain has fracked at only one test site, in Lancashire, and not since 2011. In a report published on May 8th, an all-party group from the House of Lords said that speeding shale-gas exploration should be an “urgent national priority”. So far, so familiar—and entirely in tune with the position of the coalition government. But the authors go on to blame the government, not green campaigners, for holding the frackers up.
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Regardless of how Russia’s foray into Ukraine finally works out, these last few weeks have offered a stark reminder of Europe’s desperate need to diversify its energy options. Although Russia has stopped short of halting gas deliveries to Ukraine or the rest of Europe, the threat remains real and worthy of concern. Russia currently supplies about a quarter of the continent’s natural gas demand, with a third of that flowing through Ukrainian transmission lines.
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