Shale Gas ‘Bad’ For Climate Change

Shale gas is a natural gas produced from shale, a sedimentary rock compiled of mud, clay minerals and other minerals, which has been used consistently in the USA for over ten years; so much so that by 2020, shale gas is expected to make up 50% of all natural gas production in the North America.

Due to the popularity of shale gas in the USA, and one President Barack Obama pledging his belief that shale gas will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, interest has spiked in other parts of the world including Europe, Asia and Australia, as more shale basins are being located. However, various studies, and increasing amounts of evidence, have shown shale gas in a different light.

Shale gas is often referred to as an “unconventional” gas due to its permeability problems. Shales usually lack the ability to allow fluid to flow to a well bore, because of its low permeability, which makes it almost impossible to extract on a commercial scale without the help of high-tech equipment. This is where the hydraulic fracturing process comes is, otherwise known as “fracking”.

Fracking is the process of drawing shale gas from the rock, where natural fractures are not present, with hydraulic fluid pressure to create artificial fractures. This has been labelled as a somewhat controversial method of gas extraction as researchers have found these well bores to be leaking substantial amounts of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, when they are subjected to fracking.

Another shocking revelation was also made when shale gas was compared with coal, a fossil fuel well-known for its contributions to global warming, outlining that shale gas had a 20% higher carbon footprint than coal. These figures point toward the general ethos that shale gas is very likely to be damaging to the atmosphere; creating an increase in global warming.