Hydraulic fracturing and the environmental impacts associated with it was explored as part of Aberdeen University’s ‘Cafe Scientifique’ series last night.
The public discussion, which took place at Waterstone’s Union Bridge, examined fracking – a process of extracting shale gas which has become a recent hot topic due to the controversies surrounding the environmental issues associated with this method.
Despite often featuring in the media, there is still a lot of uncertainty in many people’s minds about the impact this technology could have.
Leading researchers Professor Zoe Shipton, University of Strathclyde and Dr Clare Bond, University of Aberdeen, shed some light on the pros and cons of fracking at Cafe Scientifique.
Dr Clare Bond said:
“Clear information and understanding of the risks and uncertainties in science and new technologies is really important for the public to be able to engage in the debate around fracking.”
Professor Zoe Shipton added:
“There are many myths circulating about fracking for shale gas, from both the ‘pro’ and ‘anti’ camps. We aimed to outline the scientific research behind some of these myths.”