Impacts of Shale Gas and Shale Oil Extraction on the Environment and on Human Health

Impacts of Shale Gas and Shale Oil Extraction on the Environment and on Human Health
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 88
Release: 2011
Genre:
ISBN:

This study discusses the possible impacts of hydraulic fracturing on the environment and on human health. Quantitative data and qualitative impacts are taken from US experience since shale gas extraction in Europe still is in its infancy, while the USA have more than 40 years of experience already having drilled more than 50,000 wells. Greenhouse gas emissions are also assessed based on a critical review of existing literature and own calculations. European legislation is reviewed with respect to hydraulic fracturing activities and recommendations for further work are given. The potential gas resources and future availability of shale gas is discussed in face of the present conventional gas supply and its probable future development.

Impact of Shale Gas and Shale Oil Extraction on the Environment and on Human Health

Impact of Shale Gas and Shale Oil Extraction on the Environment and on Human Health
Author: Didier Bonijoly
Publisher:
Total Pages: 107
Release: 2012
Genre:
ISBN: 9789282346716

Within the current debate on unconventional gas and oil resources in Europe, the European Parliament organised a workshop to discuss the impacts of shale gas and shale oil extraction on the environment and on human health, ways of mitigating them and the appropriateness of the current EU legislative framework in the context of the future developments in this field.

Environmental Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing

Environmental Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing
Author: Frank R. Spellman
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 465
Release: 2012-09-17
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 146651468X

There is a strong need for innovation and the development of viable renewable energy sources. Recent technological advances now allow natural gas supplies—previously believed inaccessible or nonexistent—to be discovered, mined, and processed for both industrial and consumer use. The technology, a controversial process that is alternatively called hydraulic fracturing, fracking, fracing, or hydrofracking, has greatly expanded natural gas production in the United States. Presenting a balanced discussion, Environmental Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing is a comprehensive guide to all aspects of hydraulic fracturing used to extract natural gas, along with gas exploration and production in various shale fields. As the use of hydraulic fracturing has grown, concerns about its environmental and public health impacts have also increased—one of the most significant concerns being the fluids that are injected into rock formations to cause the fracturing contain potentially hazardous chemical additives. The book covers all facets of the issue, including ongoing controversies about the environmental and operator safety issues arising from possible water pollution, drinking water contamination, on-the-job safety hazards, and harmful chemical exposure to workers and residents near well areas. The author discusses both the pros and cons of hydraulic fracturing, explaining the process in great detail. He describes the benefits of hydraulic fracturing and its importance in making the United States energy independent by drilling for its own resources, as well as the potential impacts to the surrounding environment. The text also includes suggestions and recommendations on how to mitigate environmental damage. Arguably the first book of its kind, this is the go-to text on the use and impacts of hydraulic fracturing.

The Human and Environmental Impact of Fracking

The Human and Environmental Impact of Fracking
Author: Madelon L. Finkel
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2015-03-24
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1440832609

Fracking for gas trapped in shale could be a game changer in the quest to find alternatives to dirty fossil fuels, but it also has potential for harm. This book provides "one-stop shopping" for everyone who wants to know more about the issues. Oil and gas account for a large percentage of the world's energy consumption, and the search for new ways to extract both from the earth is a global quest. Fracking is viewed as an energy game-changer but is a controversial topic about which there is much misunderstanding. This unbiased work was written to bring clarity to the issues. Under the guidance of an internationally recognized public health expert, this book provides a comprehensive look at unconventional natural gas development from many different perspectives. Written for the layperson, the book dispels myths surrounding fracking, corrects misconceptions, and offers impartial, scientifically based information on both benefits and challenges. Readers will learn about the effects fracking has on the environment—our water, air, and climate—as well as on human and animal health. The contributors also look at the economics of fracking and at its socioeconomic impact on local communities and nations. They discuss legal and ethical issues related to the practice and, in keeping with the intent to provide a fair and balanced overview, share the industry perspective as well.

Impact of Shale Gas and Shale Oil Extraction on the Environment and on Human Health

Impact of Shale Gas and Shale Oil Extraction on the Environment and on Human Health
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 107
Release: 2012
Genre:
ISBN:

Within the current debate on unconventional gas and oil resources in Europe, the European Parliament organised a workshop to discuss the impacts of shale gas and shale oil extraction on the environment and on human health, ways of mitigating them and the appropriateness of the current EU legislative framework in the context of the future developments in this field.

Environmental Impacts of Shale Gas Extraction in Canada

Environmental Impacts of Shale Gas Extraction in Canada
Author: The Expert Panel on Harnessing Science and Technology to Understand the Environmental Impacts of Shale Gas Extraction
Publisher: Council of CanadianAcademies
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2014-05-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1926558782

This report comes at the request of Environment Canada, which asked the Council to assemble a multidisciplinary expert panel to consider the state of knowledge of potential environmental impacts from the exploration, extraction, and development of Canada’s shale gas resources. The Council’s report presents a comprehensive examination of shale gas development in Canada. It does not, however, determine the safety, nor the economic benefits, of development. It reviews the use of new and conventional technologies in shale gas extraction, and examines several issues of concern including potential impacts on surface water and groundwater, greenhouse gas emissions, cumulative land disturbance, and human health. The report also outlines approaches for monitoring and research, as well as mitigation and management strategies.

Health Impact Assessment of Shale Gas Extraction

Health Impact Assessment of Shale Gas Extraction
Author: Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2014-01-13
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9780309287913

Natural gas extraction from shale formations, which includes hydraulic fracturing, is increasingly in the news as the use of extraction technologies has expanded, rural communities have been transformed seemingly overnight, public awareness has increased, and regulations have been developed. The governmental public health system, which retains primary responsibility for health, was not an early participant in discussions about shale gas extraction; thus public health is lacking critical information about environmental health impacts of these technologies and is limited in its ability to address concerns raised by regulators at the federal and state levels, communities, and workers employed in the shale gas extraction industry. Health Impact Assessment of Shale Gas Extraction is the summary of a workshop convened in 2012 by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine to discuss the human health impact of shale gas extraction through the lens of a health impact assessment. Eminent scientists, physicians, public health experts, and representatives from government agencies at federal and state levels, from nongovernment organizations, from the business sector, and from interest groups representing the interests of the citizens met to exchange ideas and to inform on hydraulic fracturing as a means of extraction of natural gas. This report examines the state of the science regarding shale gas extraction, the direct and indirect environmental health impacts of shale gas extraction, and the use of health impact assessment as a tool that can help decision makers identify the public health consequences of shale gas extraction.

Strategic Advances in Environmental Impact Assessment

Strategic Advances in Environmental Impact Assessment
Author: Afsoon Moatari Kazerouni
Publisher:
Total Pages: 278
Release: 2019
Genre: BUSINESS & ECONOMICS
ISBN: 9781536144345

Shale gas is natural gas that is tightly locked within low permeability sedimentary rock. Recent technological advances are making shale gas reserves increasingly accessible and their recovery more economically feasible. This resource is already being exploited in South Africa, China, the United States and Canada. Shale gas is being produced in large volumes, and will likely be developed in coming years on every continent except Antarctica. Depending on factors such as future natural gas prices and government regulations, further development of shale gas resources could potentially span many decades and involve the drilling of tens of thousands of hydraulically fractured horizontal wells.This development is changing long-held expectations about oil and gas resource availability; several observers have characterized it as a game changer. Abundant, close to major markets, and relatively inexpensive to produce, shale gas represents a major new source of fossil energy. However, the rapid expansion of shale gas development over the past decade has occurred without a corresponding investment in monitoring and research addressing the impacts on the environment, public health, and communities. The primary concerns are the degradation of the quality of groundwater and surface water (including the safe disposal of large volumes of wastewater); the risk of increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (including fugitive methane emissions during and after production), thus exacerbating anthropogenic climate change; disruptive effects on communities and land; and adverse effects on to human health. Other concerns include the local release of air contaminants and the potential for triggering small- to moderate-sized earthquakes in seismically active areas. These concerns will vary by region. The shale gas regions can be found near urban areas, presenting a large diversity in their geology, hydrology, land uses, and population density. The phrase environmental impacts from shale gas development masks many regional differences that are essential to understanding these impacts.

The Effects of Induced Hydraulic Fracturing on the Environment

The Effects of Induced Hydraulic Fracturing on the Environment
Author: Matthew McBroom
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 363
Release: 2013-12-07
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1926895835

Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking" as it is commonly known, refers to the practice of using liquids at very high pressures to fragment rock, thereby allowing natural gas to be harvested. This process increases energy resources but also has some negative environmental impacts as well. This book looks at the environmental impact. The first section looks at fracturing and the water supply, the second section looks at ecosystems and wildlife, while the final section examines the possible effects on human ecosystems and human health.

Shale Gas and the Future of Energy

Shale Gas and the Future of Energy
Author: John C. Dernbach and James R. May
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 343
Release: 2016-02-26
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 178347615X

The rapid growth of shale gas development has led to an intense and polarizing debate about its merit. This book asks and suggests answers to the question that has not yet been systematically analysed: what laws and policies are needed to ensure that shale gas development helps to accelerate the transition to sustainability? In this groundbreaking book, more than a dozen experts in policy and academia assess the role that sustainability plays in decisions concerning shale gas development in the US and elsewhere, offering legal and policy recommendations for developing shale gas in a manner that accelerates the transition to sustainability. Contributors assess good practices from Pennsylvania to around the planet, discussing how these lessons translate to other jurisdictions. Ultimately, the book concludes that major changes in law and policy are needed to develop shale gas sustainably. Policymakers and educators alike will find this book to be a valuable resource, as it tackles the technical, social, economic and legal aspects associated with this sustainability issue. Other strengths are its clear language and middle-ground policy perspective that will make Shale Gas and the Future of Energy accessible to both students and the general public.