Fracking and Fossil Fuel Extraction

National Parks have a huge role to play in the climate crisis, they clean the air we breathe and keep carbon stored firmly in the ground. Fracking and fossil fuel extraction poses an existential threat to National Parks and National Landscapes. These schemes undermine the very purposes of why Protected Landscapes were created; to conserve and enhance their natural beauty and cultural heritage.

Fracking

Hydraulic fracturing, or as it is more widely known, fracking, is the injection of large volumes of water underground to extract gas or oil from shale rock under the earth’s surface. The water and other lubricating materials are forced into the earth at a high pressure to extract gas or oil. 

Fracking has significant environmental impacts – polluting groundwater, damaging the landscape and noise pollution. Fracking is also a non-renewable source of energy and undermines the UK’s progress towards meeting climate change targets.

Energy

It is important to balance the needs of increasing the amount of renewable energy and energy security, reducing fuel poverty, and enhancing energy efficiency with protecting National Parks.  

We recognise that National Parks have a key role to play in delivering the types of energy infrastructure that will be required to meet the UK’s targets for carbon reduction and renewable energy supply. The challenge is to do this only by introducing infrastructure which is appropriate in size and design so as not to damage the landscape, tranquillity and character of these protected areas. 

However, inappropriate energy infrastructure and fossil fuel extraction is a huge threat to National Parks and why we campaign against it. These landscapes play a vital role in mitigating climate change as they are generally rich in habitats and vegetation which act as major carbon sinks. Not only does fossil fuel extraction damage the landscape and its potential to keep carbon in the ground, it also increases carbon emissions exacerbating the climate crisis.