Impact of energy generation on health: unconventional gas

Abstract

In this age of human-induced climate change, drilling for unconventional gas is expanding rapidly. In the United States hundreds of thousands of wells tap into shale gas, tight sands gas and coal seam gas (CSG). In Australia we have large CSG fields containing thousands of wells in Queensland, and several smaller fields in New South Wales and Victoria. The scale of proposed development of shale gas in South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory will eclipse CSG in the eastern states. Yet unconventional gas extraction has the potential to undermine every single one of the environmental determinants of health: clean air, clean water, a safe food supply and a stable climate.1 To ensure health, water has to be sufficient in quality and quantity. The unconventional gas industry impacts both in a number of ways. Water quality can be threatened both by chemicals in drilling and fracking fluids, and by chemicals mobilised from deep underground in the process.