Applied: Sustainability

I have teamed up with Brenda and Rosie for the applied documentary brief, and we have decided to choose sustainability as our theme and focus specifically on fracking. There are lots of infographic-y type animations out there which visualise the process of fracking, and explain the possible side effects, but few of these actually stated whether or not fracking was a good idea or not, preferring to stay neutral. For example:

As a group we all agreed that fracking is not a sustainable or worthwhile process to engage in. Not only does it have detrimental effects on the land and the lives of people living in the areas surrounding drilling sites, but the continued use of fossil fuels as an energy source is a hole we cannot dig ourselves out of.

The biggest and most obvious example of the evils of fracking is Flint, Michigan in the USA, in which fracking for shale gas has resulted in the contamination of drinking water supplies which has led to in an increase in the levels of lead and other toxic substances in the blood of schoolchildren, and a higher likelihood of a variety of cancers and birth defects. In rural communities there have been sharp increases in livestock infertility, deformed young and mortality rates.

Aside from these side effects - which are admittedly easy to ignore if you are an energy company executive living in a mansion on Bishop's Avenue, or an MP in the Westminster bubble -the introduction of shale gas into the UK energy infrastructure will increase carbon emissions by 11%, when our government has already "committed" to reducing emissions. The UK's climate Change Act of 2008 set specific targets for reduction in emissions by 2050 which will be completely unattainable if we introduce fracking into the energy industry.

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We have decided to take a slightly different tack to the video shown above. We thought that it would be interesting to try a vox-pop style documentary, in which we discussed with people their ideas for alternatives and for improving our current carbon output.

From the top of my head I think it would be interesting to talk to somebody from Leeds University physics department, who I know are currently researching improvements in the storage and release of solar energy. As well as this there are a number of anti-fracking organisations in and around Yorkshire who may have spokespeople that would like to speak to us. Rosie suggested a visit to Blackpool as there is a lot of fracking activity in that area, along with a lot of people attempting to block this action.