Apr 27th, 2017
Permanently ban fracking in Scotland
By Rachel Whalley
Together we’ve got the media talking about something other than the election. Thanks to research funded by 38 Degrees members, the papers are talking about the danger fracking could pose to Scotland’s whisky.
The whisky industry employs more than 10,000 people and brings in billions to Scotland’s economy. But a form of dirty energy called fracking could put that at risk. It involves blasting toxic chemicals into the ground and they could get into Scotland’s water – threatening it’s whisky production.
Right now, there’s a temporary ban on fracking here – but the Scottish Government are consulting on whether to drop the ban and let fracking go ahead.
We’ve already made the front pages, together we can make a big enough fuss that the Scottish Government have to do the right thing and ban fracking for good. More than 15,000 of us have already signed a petition calling for fracking to be banned. If we can get to 20,000 it’ll show politicians that people don’t want fracking in Scotland.
Fracking is a risky way of getting fossil fuels out of the ground. Toxic chemicals are pumped into the Earth to shatter rock and suck up the gas. It’s been linked with health risks. But we are told that it only carries a “very small” risk of causing earthquakes, which is nice.
Today it’s whisky industry experts coming out against fracking in our report. Earlier in the week, the Quakers spoke out against fracking. But fracking lobbyists will be working overtime to try and persuade the Government to drop the ban – so we need to act.
Will you join 15,000 other 38 Degrees members in calling on the Scottish Government to ban fracking?
We can do this. Last year, together we forced the Scottish Government to permanently ban a similar form of energy called Underground Coal Gasification, or UCG. The Scottish Government can ban fracking too – but it’s down to us to get them to do it.
Friends of the Earth Scotland built a tool so you can respond to the Government’s consultation quickly and easily. It’s here:
