What the frack? Liz Truss returns to fracking amid the climate crisis
Photo of Liz Truss, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom taken by Simon Dawson of No10 Downing Street
The forthcoming winter is set to be bleak. With energy bills skyrocketing to unprecedented highs and inflation increasing by the day, the ‘cost of living crisis’ has begun. Liz Truss, Britain’s newly appointed Prime Minister, attempted to address these problems within her first week in the role. Announcing a £150 billion price freeze on energy bills and the reintroduction of fracking on shore and in the North Sea, Truss is making a grave mistake.
Fracking is a short-term solution that is incredibly costly to people and the environment alike. The British government is legally bound to achieving net zero by 2050. Such a goal is incompatible with the reintroduction of fracking and a continued reliance on fossil fuels. Instead, the government should focus on using renewable sources of energy to increase the lacking supply – this would bring down prices and leave us reliant on green energy instead.
Although it sounds daunting, this is a completely feasible plan. The lack of gas can be remedied by installing electric heat pumps. Heat pumps are a more efficient and less environmentally damaging method of heating homes, however they are expensive. Previous government schemes have helped more people install them and rolling out similar schemes on a larger scale is still within the realm of possibility for Truss. With the national supply of electricity increasingly relying on renewable sources, using heat pumps could provide a bridge towards the net zero target for the UK.
Reintroducing fracking is an unpopular choice among both local communities and the government’s key energy advisors. Fracking for gas was banned in Britain in 2019 because of several tremors, including a magnitude 2.9 earthquake recorded in Lancashire. The Climate Change Committee and the National Infrastructure Commission published a letter to the government at the beginning of September: they argued that fracking for British gas will not reduce its cost and that the funds for the price freeze would be better spent on schemes to insulate and upgrade people’s homes. If the government’s solution seems so problematic, why are they pursuing it?
Truss herself is a prolific opponent of using on-shore renewables, such as solar or wind farms, arguing that they take up space which could otherwise be used for farming for food instead. However, the environmentalist organisation Friends of the Earth disagree, arguing that crop and energy production could exist simultaneously. Others have described it as a ‘win-win’ for both farmers and energy producers, as it will improve the efficiency of food production and reduce greenhouse gas emissions at a substantial rate. Some even estimate that farmers’ incomes could grow by $100 billion by 2030, if they began to use and work alongside solar farms. These projects ultimately lack funding.
Truss’ voting record also speaks volumes. Between 2011 and 2021 she voted against twenty-one of the thirty-one climate change prevention policies presented to the House of Commons. Of those thirty-one votes, she voted in favour of three (establishing a green investment bank, reforming the energy market to lower CO2 emissions and the climate change levy) and abstained from the remaining seven.
In contrast to her views, Truss’ cabinet reflects a mix of opinions on climate policy, from activists to outright sceptics. Kwasi Kwarteng, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, has a history of initiating climate change bills in parliament, some of which were blocked by his predecessor, Rishi Sunak. Kwarteng also describes himself as a free marketeer, but recognises how his ideology may need to change to prevent environmental catastrophe.
In a similar vein, Graham Stuart, the newly-appointed junior Minister for Climate Change, was a key influence in encouraging Theresa May to enshrine the net zero target into law. Additionally, Alok Sharma, a Minister of the Cabinet Office and COP26 President, has stated that he will resign if government policy isn’t green enough.
Despite this, Jacob Rees-Mogg, the new Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industry is a climate change sceptic who aims to squeeze “every last cubic inch of gas” from the North Sea. Rees-Mogg is known for his outspoken and controversial Trumpian-esque politics, so it is unlikely energy policy will turn green under his reign.
Unfortunately for Rees-Mogg and his fellow climate sceptics, climate change is no joke. The recent heatwaves (and subsequent forest fires) across Europe and America, the destructive floods in Pakistan and the increasingly powerful hurricanes hitting the Caribbean demonstrate how the longevity of humankind is under severe threat.
The UK likes to consider itself a leader in environmental policy, but by allowing fracking to resume it is falling behind in the race for environmental stability. To achieve net zero by 2050 and to keep communities safe and warm this winter, government spending should focus on insulating homes and increasing our reliance on renewable sources of energy.
If Truss wants to steer us in a brighter direction, her best bet is to make a u-turn on this nonsensical policy, and fast.