Meg SHERVAL, The University of Newcastle, Australia, Australia
Global energy policies embracing a transition towards unconventional oil and gas development have been the hallmark of many developed nations since the early twenty-first century. Prompted initially by ideas of scarcity and then by the need for energy security, nations such as Australia and Britain have actively pursued new technologies which have made the once impossible, now possible. Eliciting national support, coal-seam gas and shale (or tight gas) extraction have become burgeoning industries in these countries and are often framed as a means of achieving a transition from high-carbon fossil fuel consumption towards low-carbon future alternatives. The introduction of these industries, however, has not been without controversy. Debates concerning health, water, climate change, the scale of the extraction footprint as well as governance of both industry operators and government decision-makers, have led to a rise in local resistance and a general anxiety about risk, trust and issues concerning environmental and distributive justice. Reflecting on fieldwork completed in Australia and Britain over several years, this paper examines community concerns and government reponses to these concerns.
Mots clés : environmental justice|coal seam gas|shale gas |rural communities|trust
A103159MS