
The Congolese government is allowing energy firms to bid for access to its vast oil and gas reserves, risking terrible ecological and climate effects.
In some homes in the U.S state of Pennsylvania, chemicals have been detected in drinking water. The cause? Fracking.
Tiny amounts of chemical substances were found in drinking water pouring from the taps of three homes in Pennsylvania, United States. According to a study conducted by the environmental scientists of the Pennsylvania State University, the cause should be ascribed to fracking (hydraulic fracturing) activities promoted by the U.S. Government. The paper was published in the Proceedings of the national academy of sciences (Pnas), a scientific journal.
The examined water samples contained 2-Butoxyethanol (2-BE), a chemical compound found in the pressurised fluid that is injected underground to extract low quality gas and oil. The same chemical is also commonly used in some cosmetics.
This is the first case of aquifers contamination attributed to fracking demonstrated and published in a scientific journal. “A surprising discovery” said Susan Brantley, one of the study’s authors, to the New York Times. “These findings are important because we show that chemicals traveled from shale gas wells more than 2 kilometers in the subsurface to drinking water wells”.
It seems that the contamination level is low and does not pose a health risk, by now. The team of scientists believed that the well contaminants came from either a documented surface tank leak in 2009 or, which is worse, as a result of improper maintenance of the drilling well located near to residential buildings.
Quest'opera è distribuita con Licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale.
The Congolese government is allowing energy firms to bid for access to its vast oil and gas reserves, risking terrible ecological and climate effects.
The world’s forests are precious and delicate ecosystems that give humanity so much. We should work together to protect and treasure our forests.
Environmental activists occupied the port of Seattle to stop Shell from reaching the Arctic and destroying it through drilling activities.
A fierce tropical storm has killed hundreds in Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar and is set to break the record as the longest-lasting cyclone ever.
The US government has approved ConocoPhillips’s controversial Willow Project to drill for oil in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve.
It has taken 15 years of negotiations but the world’s governments have finally reached an agreement to protect the oceans and the high seas.
The extent of sea ice in Antarctica reached a new record low on 21st February 2023.
Communities in Kwa-Zulu Natal have been at loggerheads with Tendele Coal Mine over land destruction, water pollution and the killing of activists.
BNP Paribas has been sued by three French NGOs. This lawsuit marks the first time ever that a commercial bank is sued over its fossil fuel financing.