Part 2 of Karoo a Fracking Disaster
This 43:59 interview of Derek Light lawyer heading the legal opposition to fracking in the Karoo, brings important news about the horrific impacts of fracking in this ancient an fragile semi desert area as well as bringing us news about the status of fracking applications in other provinces of South Africa where the farmers are desperately trying to prevent the permission being given and where there is no moratorium.
Derek paints a vivid but terrifying picture of what may become of up to 60% of South Africa’s landscape with drilling rigs for fracking every 5 kilometers in every direction in a patchwork quilt of degraded landscape crossed by 6 meter wide roads on the ground and contaminated poisoned by the chemicals used in fracking and imported sea water underground. Hundreds of thousands of truck loads of water brought in and contaminated water taken out putting pressure on the roads and the authorities inability to monitor traffic.
The fact that fracking would bring about only 2 700 jobs of which only about 900 would be within the skill set of the current residents of the Karoo and yet would probably put an end to the ecologically friendly farming jobs which currently employ about 100 000 people. And all f this would be for about 3 – 7 years ( the projected life of each well. the fact that fracking is a pop o nd go industry which would be gone in 20 or so years leaving a completely desecrated landscape behind with compromised contaminated water.
And all of this would be done just to create inventory in the books of the company to improve the value on the stock market because gas extracted from shale is far too expensive to make profit esecially when compared to natural gas which is vey cheap. Extraction of shale gas makes shale gas a far dirtier energy source than even coal.
Although there are rumours that government owns 25% of the profits at the moment there won’t be much profit and normally most profits tend to go to the shareholders overseas rather than bnefiting the people o the country the gas is found in.
the time they have gained by opposing the process has given the opportunity for solar and wind to demonstrate just how much faster and cheaper and environmentally non damaging renewables are.