It’s been just over a year since the informative movie Gasland was released to rave reviews. It documented the environmentally disastrous process known as Hydraulic Fracturing or Fracking for short, in the Continental United States.Josh Fox’s brilliant movie went a long way to creating awareness of the dangerous process. The share shock value of people lighting their drinking water on fire in Pennsylvania is something not easily forgotten.
As the movement against fracking gains momentum, so does the industries disinformation machine. From lobbying the government, to writing their own propaganda, the oil industry is a formidable opponent, which is prepared to fight dirty to maintain their destructive enterprises. But it’s a war that they ultimately cannot win. The destruction caused is well documented, it’s just a case of more people becoming aware and voicing their concerns.
That’s why articles like this one by Tracy Barnett in the New Zealand Herald are so important. The clean energy movement requires an open and public debate, because only through sustained pressure on politicians, will we have any chance of waking up from the nightmare known as the oil and gas industry.
