Not Welcome To Lancashire!

In Lancashire today, the fate of the controversial practice known as fracking faced one of its most significant setbacks in the UK yet.

Following a move late last week to postpone the decision to after the weekend, councillors voted 10-4 this morning against a planning application for fracking at a site in Little Plumpton.

The repercussions of the outcome are expected to reach far and wide across the UK with other councils due to hold similar votes in the near future. Whilst the news has been greeted by climate groups and many locals with delight, there is also an acknowledgement of the long road ahead with groups including Greenpeace expecting Lancashire’s decision to be disputed in the courts. 

Identifying the means to bolster a limited production of UK-owned energy is high on the agenda for companies and the government alike and while options for renewable energy sources continue to be given a fraction of overall public and private sector investment, the Fracking question continues to resurface around the country on an almost daily basis. This being despite much controversy surrounding the method for extracting shale gas from deep within the ground and what we at Ben & Jerry’s see as a shaky track record so far in the US and Europe. 

While the debate rolls on and the outcome is more likely to be deferred than conclusive, the hope for many is that renewable energy innovation and further investment into this field will combine to  sway more decision makers away from fossil fuels and towards the goal of a slowdown of rising global temperatures to below 2 degrees.

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