Fracking, the process of blasting water, sand, and a cocktail of chemicals deep underground in order to get gas or oil or oil out of shale rock, has been a hotly debated subject for some time in Southern Africa. Groups such as Treasure the Karoo Action Group (TKAG) have been openly condemning the activity, while government teeters back and forth between decisions.
On the 19th February, Greenpeace Africa will host a colloquium “Fracking: A Civil Society Perspective” at the Cape Town Science Centre in Observatory. Greenpeace Africa has put together a panel of experts who will present perspectives of fracking from various angles; how it affects the communities near it, what it does to our water supplies, and the lessons from America, where fracking has already riddled the country with pipes, crevices and scars, altering not only the landscape, but damaging water supply.
The International Energy Agency warns that most of the gas that we have already found should stay in the ground. South Africa has an abundance of sun and wind resources, and so we should be transitioning away from dirty, outdated fossil fuels, and towards a renewable energy-powered future.
Join us tomorrow and have your say about your country’s energy future. Get the details here..
If you can’t make it to the event, follow the conversation online with the #WhyFrackSA hashtag – send us questions and we’ll get the panel to answer them for you.