'Gasland' documentary released in Europe

Gasland, Josh Fox’s disturbing documentary on shale gas production in the US is being released in Europe next week on DVD just as the issue hits the headlines in parts of the EU once again. The film, which has won several environmental film awards and was nominated for an Oscar, is a striking indictment of poor regulation of theunconventional gas industry across the United States. Whatever your opinion on the future of shale gas – and we’ve debated the topic already on Comment Visions in depth – Gasland is a must-see film in my opinion. Fox’s road trip from Pennsylvania to the Rockies and back home via Texas managed to grab the media world’s attention and has brought the issue of aquifer pollution from gas wells into the public spotlight in the past year. This has to be a good thing for anyone concerned about energy and the environment.

The personal tales of poor health and habitat pollution that he portrays are memorable, thought-provoking and in my case left me feeling angry and frustrated at the lack of proper regulation and apparent greed behind the rapid development of shale gas in the US.

The issue of shale gas exploration continues to hit the headlines in France in particular.  In June the government banned the practice of hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking’, the only known way of extracting the gas trapped in the rock and the source of so many problems portrayed in Gasland. However the energy giant Total this week said that it wanted to continue exploration for gas deposits across the picturesque region stretching from Montpelimar south to Montpellier. There are fears amongst opposition politicians that if large deposits of gas are found then Total will lobby hard for the ban on fracking to be repealed.