Fracking will stop the UK from reaching its climate change targets, government advisers have warned, unless tougher regulation is introduced.

Large scale shale gas production would also be incompatible with the UK’s own carbon budgets, the report by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) said today.

The independent committee suggested that increased UK production of fossil fuels could affect global emissions.

And carbon emissions in other areas in the UK would have to be cut to offset those produced from shale gas.

In any case the implications of UK shale gas exploitation for greenhouse gas emissions are subject to “considerable uncertainty” they warned.

Twisted words

The report, penned by such experts as Lord Krebs and former Environment Secretary John Gummer, and Lord Deben (Conservative), found: “that exploitation of shale gas on a significant scale is not compatible with UK carbon budgets, or the 2050 commitment to reduce emissions by at least 80%, unless three tests are satisfied.”

The government however has been accused of “twisting” the CCC’s recommendations in its response to the report.

Climate Change Minister Andrea Leadsom said in a statement today: “The Government welcomes the CCC’s conclusion that shale gas is compatible with carbon budgets if certain conditions are met.

“We believe that our strong regulatory regime and determination to meet our carbon budgets mean those conditions can and will be met.”

But she insisted the existing regulators already had the “right powers and flexibility” to ensure that emissions are minimised.

Ducking tests

The report, ‘The compatibility of UK onshore petroleum with meeting the UK’s carbon budgets’ fulfils a new duty brought in by Labour under the Infrastructure Act 2015. It requires the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change to consult the CCC about the implications of exploitation of onshore petroleum.

Labour today accused the government of risking public safety and climate targets by ducking these tests. Barry Gardiner, Shadow Climate Change Secretary said:

“This report laid out three fundamental tests. After dithering for 99 days the government has decided to do precisely nothing to increase protection for the public or to deliver security for our climate targets.

“What the CCC is clear about is that unconventional gas bring with it unconventional risks – risks from methane leaks and other potential problems. But the fundamental problem with unconventional gas is that it is still a fossil fuel when we need to be directing our energy system towards a zero carbon future.” 

Delayed report

The CCC submitted the report, ‘Compatibility of Onshore Petroleum with meeting UK carbon budgets’, to the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) at the end of March.

But the government delayed the publication of the report and its response to it. In the interim period fracking exploration was given the go ahead in North Yorkshire, bringing fracking to the UK for the first time in five years.

Govt response to CCC fracking climate report is <500 words. Took nearly 100 days to prepare, so, er, 5 words a day? https://t.co/podLAh4ur6

— Simon Evans (@DrSimEvans) July 7, 2016

Local anti-fracking campaigners and Friends of the Earth today mounted a legal challenge against the decision, arguing that North Yorkshire County Council failed to properly assess climate change.

Photo: WCN 24/7 via Flickr