On November 4, 2013, journalist Alex Prud’homme discussed his new book Hydrofracking: What Everybody Needs to Know at UChicago’s International House. The event was moderated by Phillip Drake, the Center for International Studies Lecturer in Environmental Studies. Prud’homme began his presentation by talking about the polarized nature of public opinion on hydrofracking and how people disagree even on the simple definition of hydrofracking. He clarified that hydrofracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, is a term to describe two processes: the first is the drilling of a well and the second is the actual hydraulic fracturing in which water and chemicals are injected on the ground at high pressure to access oil and gas. He mentioned that U.S has only the fourth largest shale deposit in the world after China, Argentina and Algeria.
What is it about hydrofracking that make people love it or hate it with such passion? Alex Prud’homme answered this question remarking the pros and cons of this process. On the one hand, he mentioned that hydrofracking presents benefits from economic, scientific, and political perspectives. From the economic perspective, hydrofracking represents jobs, revenues, and new supplies of energy. The scientific perspective holds that natural gas burns more cleanly than coal or oil and the political perspective holds that cheap natural gas could make America energy independent for the first time in recent history. On the other hand, environmentalists are worried about how hydrofracking affects land, water, air, and public health. He remarked the environmentalists’ concern about hydrofracking practice without completely understanding its impact to the environment in the long term. This is especially the case, he remarked, because the long-term effects of hydrofracking on the environment remain unclear. In addition, Prud’homme underlined the environmental threat that hydrofracking represents for water, such as the immense water consumption demanded by the process and the risk of water pollution from the waste water that is laden with chemicals.
The controversy on hydrofracking still continues, however several actions have been done in the few last years to build a bridge between pro- and anti-frackers. According to Alex Prud’homme, the International Energy Agency suggested some common sense steps such as improving corporate transparency, engaging communities and, acting to reduce spills and methane leaks, and to prevent wells from exploding. His conclusion addressed a new question about how to produce the same amount of energy in a cleaner way. He stated that there is a lot of potential in the areas of research, innovation and regulation to improve the hydrofracking process. In addition, he talked about the potential of renewables to supply energy in the future and fracking as a process to supply a relative clean fuel in the long term. He referred to fracking as a process that can help to transition to more sustainable sources if it is used in a responsible way.
This event was part of the 2013-2014 year-long program titled, Global Energies: A Public Inquiry into the Ecology, Science and Politics of Energy in the 21st Century organized by the Center for International Studies and the Program on the Global Environment. In the autumn, the featured issue is fracking and its effects on the environment and energy markets; in winter quarter, the focus will turn to biofuels; and spring will offer viewpoints on alternative energy and a world beyond fossil fuels.