Tory fracking dash equivalent to the lifetime emissions of 300 million cars, says Labour research
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New research from Labour released to coincide with a visit by
Jeremy Corbyn to Lancashire, has found that Tory plans to force
through dangerous fracking would release CO2 equivalent to the
lifetime emissions of nearly 300 million cars, obliterating the
UK’s commitments under the Paris Agreement. The government
is already on track to miss key legally-binding targets set out in
their carbon budgets, but these figures illustrate just how
damaging Tory fracking would...Request free trial
New research from Labour released to coincide with a visit by Jeremy Corbyn to Lancashire, has found that Tory plans to force through dangerous fracking would release CO2 equivalent to the lifetime emissions of nearly 300 million cars, obliterating the UK’s commitments under the Paris Agreement.
The government is already on track to miss key legally-binding targets set out in their carbon budgets, but these figures illustrate just how damaging Tory fracking would be. Projected emissions from fracking would overshoot the UK’s current annual emissions 20 times over, ending any chance of complying with our Paris climate obligations.
The UK holds an estimated 1,400 trillion cubic feet in shale gas reserves, of which roughly ten per cent should be recoverable through fracking. The Tory ambition is for these reserves to be fully exploited, releasing over seven billion tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.
This environmental cost of this would be equivalent to:
· the lifetime emissions of 286 million cars, or 29 new coal-fired power plants; · the emissions of 6,000 flights to Pluto and back in a standard passenger airplane; · 20 times our country’s entire annual emissions in 2017.
These figures likely underestimate the true impact of Tory fracking, as they do not take into account the total emissions produced over the lifecycle of fracking sites – for example, fugitive methane emissions.
The current Conservative government has been a vocal and aggressive supporter of fracking despite mounting evidence of its disastrous impact on the environment. In 2013 then Prime Minister David Cameron argued that “we cannot afford to miss out on fracking”, calling for the practice to be expanded to “all parts of our nation”.
Under Theresa May the government has continued its full-throated support for the practice. Last year Energy Minister Claire Perry was widely criticised for holding secret meetings with fracking firms, the minutes of which revealed an ambition to “export the UK model” of fracking around the world.
Community and environmental groups have fought back against the Tory fracking dash through protest action and battles in the courts. Earlier this month the government’s policy was ruled unlawful by the High Court for failing to take into account the climate impact of fracking.
Tory support for fracking has continued unabated even while the government has withdrawn support for safer sources of energy such as nuclear, tidal and onshore wind. In the last year major projects such as the Wylfa Newydd nuclear plant and Swansea Tidal Lagoon have been scrapped, while there has been an effective ban on new onshore wind since 2015.
In power, Labour will listen to the voices of communities across our country and ban fracking. Instead we will invest in new renewables, end barriers to onshore wind, and support new nuclear as part of a sustainable and secure energy mix.
Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, campaigning in
Lancashire yesterday against the Tories fracking plans in
the region, said:
“The Conservatives’ fracking plans will damage our environment
and fly in the face of community opposition.
“There is a clear alternative to fracking. Clean, renewable
energy is the future of our economy and will create over 400,000
jobs as part of Labour’s Green Industrial Revolution.
“Local communities in Lancashire and across the country are
standing against fracking. In government, Labour will ban it once
and for all.”
Rebecca Long-Bailey MP, Labour’s Shadow Energy Secretary, said:
“Fracking can’t be part of the solution to climate change. These figures demonstrate the enormous debt we owe to the communities and campaigners who have fought back against fracking and prevented the Tories from pushing our country off a climate cliff.
“With the High Court ruling only this month that the government’s policy is unlawful and schoolchildren marching on the streets for climate action, the government needs to realise that this isn’t just a public relations exercise. It’s beyond time for them to change course and ban fracking before it’s too late.”
Ends
Notes to editors
· The table below shows the scale of the emissions that would be produced by full exploitation of the UK’s recoverable shale gas reserves.
1 These figures are taken from research by the Grantham Institute at the London School of Economics, with the “Low” figure and “High” figure representing the two alternative figures they give and “Medium” representing the middle point between them. The story note above assumes the “High” figure as this is closest to the ambition laid out by David Cameron in 2013 (see below). The Grantham Institute research can be found here:http://www.lse.ac.uk/GranthamInstitute/faqs/what-potential-reserves-of-shale-gas-are-there-in-the-uk/.
2 This is based on the assumption than ten per cent of shale gas reserves are recoverable, as has been the experience in the United States. The Royal Society of Engineering discusses this assumption on page 58, text box 8 of this document:https://www.raeng.org.uk/publications/reports/shale-gas-extraction-in-the-uk.
3 The total emissions is calculated on the basis that 53120000 tonnes of CO2 is emitted per trillion cubic feet of shale gas, as assumed by the United States Energy Information Administration https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php.
· In 2017 the UK emitted 373,000,000 tonnes of CO2. This is twenty times smaller than the “High” estimate of 7,484,971,872 tonnes of CO2 projected to be emitted by fracking.
UK Government, 5 February 2019
· The average UK car produces 1.87750992 tonnes of CO2 a year, and the average age of a car in the UK is 13.9 years. This means over the lifespan of a car it emits 26.09 tons of CO2. This goes into the “High” estimate 286,809,235.6 times. RAC Foundation, Motoring FAQs https://www.racfoundation.org/motoring-faqs/mobility
SMMT, Average Vehicle Age https://www.smmt.co.uk/industry-topics/sustainability/average-vehicle-age/
· Flying from London to Sidney – 10,500 miles – produces 1.46 tonnes of CO2. The distance from Pluto to Earth equals 4.67 billion miles. A flight to Pluto would therefore produce 11,527 tonnes of CO2, meaning you could fly there and back nearly 6,000 times before producing emissions equivalent to the “High” estimate for UK fracking.
· In a 2013 article for the Telegraph then Prime Minister David Cameron called for the exploitation of the UK’s shale gas reserves, and in the following year he argued that we have a “duty” to frack.
“We’re not turning our back on low carbon energy, but these sources aren’t enough. We need a mix. Latest estimates suggest that there’s about 1,300 trillion cubic feet of shale gas lying underneath Britain at the moment – and that study only covers 11 counties. To put that in context, even if we extract just a tenth of that figure, that is still the equivalent of 51 years’ gas supply.” The Telegraph, 11 August 2013 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10236664/We-cannot-afford-to-miss-out-on-shale-gas.html
“David Cameron says Britain has a "duty" to frack in the wake of the Ukraine crisis and pledges to have shale gas wells "up and running" in the UK by the end of this year.” The Telegraph, 26 March 2014
· Theresa May has maintained the government’s support for fracking, calling it an “important potential new source of energy”. Her Business Secretary Greg Clark has criticised the pace of fracking as “disappointingly slow”, while Energy Minister Claire Perry has caricatured critics as having an “anti-gas view”.
“This is an issue on which the hon. Gentleman and I are simply going to disagree. I think that shale gas has the potential to power economic growth in this country and to support thousands of jobs in the oil and gas industries and in other sectors. It will provide a new domestic energy source. We have more than 50 years’ drilling experience in the UK, and one of the best records in the world for economic development while protecting our environment. The shale wealth fund is going to provide up to £1 billion of additional resources to local communities, and local councils are going to be able to retain 100% of the business rates they collect from shale gas developments. We will be bringing forward further proposals in relation to this during this Parliament. This is an important potential new source of energy, and it is right that we should use it and take the benefits from it for our economy, for jobs and for people’s futures.” Hansard, 25 October 2017
“Business Secretary Greg Clark has attacked the current [fracking] planning process as “disappointingly slow”.” Energy Voice, 22 May 2018 https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandgas/172145/mays-cabinet-in-push-to-boost-fracking-exploration/
“”There is an anti-gas view out there,” she told delegates, “and a view that we can go straight to an entirely renewable system”.” Utility Week, 6 February 2019 https://utilityweek.co.uk/claire-perry-defends-shale-gas-fracking/
· The government has been accused of a lack of transparency on fracking. Last year Claire Perry was criticised for failing to declare a private meeting with companies including Cuadrilla, Ineos and BP. Community groups have also attacked the government for “avoiding scrutiny” from Parliament over fracking decisions.
“Perry and officials met with all the key shale players – Cuadrilla, Ineos, iGas and Third Energy – along with oil and gas companies including BP on 21 May. While her meeting with wind power executives on the same day was recorded on an official transparency register, the shale event was not.” The Guardian, 26 October 2018
“Theresa May’s government has been accused of “trampling over democracy” by approving fracking at a second well near Blackpool while MPs are away from parliament and can’t challenge the decision. Energy and clean growth minister Claire Perry announced that Cuadrilla will be allowed to frack a second well at its Preston New Road site six days after parliament went into recess for the party conference season. Ms Perry had approved fracking at the first well in July, on the last day of parliament before the summer recess.” The Independent, 19 September 2018
“Pam Foster of Frack Free Lancashire said the timing of the announcement was symptomatic of the way the government operates over fracking, which is formally known as hydraulic fracturing. She told The Independent: “They know it’s totally unpopular; they know some of their own MPs are against it, so they sneak this through in an underhand manner. “They seek to avoid scrutiny at every twist and turn. The government has just been giving Cuadrilla whatever it wants, while we have been given redacted reports and reports that have been sat on for years.”” The Independent, 19 September 2018
· According to the independent Committee on Climate Change, the Tories have left us on course to miss targets set by the Climate Change Act. Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee has said that “The Government is coasting on climate change” while the father of climate science James Hansen has accused their fracking policies of “aping Trump”.
“The first carbon budget (2008 to 2012) was met and the UK is
currently on track to outperform on the second (2013 to 2017) and
third (2018 to 2022). However, it is not on track to meet the
fourth (2023 to 2027).”
“The Government is coasting on climate change. It is currently
relying on past successes to scrape by on its carbon budgets and
is not even on track to meet them in full.”
“One of the world’s leading climate scientists has launched a
scathing attack on the government’s fracking programme, accusing
ministers of aping Donald Trump and ignoring scientific
evidence.” |