The most significant effect of fracking is the emission of greenhouse gases. This is both the carbon dioxide produced when it is burnt, as well as the leakage of methane from the fracking site and from stored and transported gas.
The effect of these emissions needs to be considered against the timescale over which they are produced. Fracking is not going to reach it's full potential until at least 2025. By this time we will be five years away from the European Union's 2030 Energy and Climate goals. These have not been set yet but they will be a waypoint on the road to an 80-95% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
I do not know of any realistic emissions path for this country that can involve bring a new fossil fuel online in 2025 and meeting these targets.
2. Do you agree with the conclusions of the report and the recommendations for avoiding, reducing or off-setting significant effects of the activities that follow the licensing round? If not, what do you think should be the key recommendations and why?
I do not agree with the report and I do not see anything that will offset the greenhouse gas emissions from fracking in a way that keeps us within any like EU 2030 Energy and Climate goals with any realistic scenario for UK emissions.
3. Do you agree with the proposed arrangements for monitoring significant of the activities that follow the licensing round, detailed in the Environmental Report? If not, what measures do you propose?
I do not see that it is possible to frack and to stay within targets to prevent dangerous Climate Change.
However if fracking is to take place it is vital that the issue of fugitive methane emissions is measured and addressed before this happens. This will involve regulatory and engineering considerations to prevent well failure over a period of one hundred years or more. This is unlikely to be possible.
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