Is renewable energy better than fracking and why is fracking more harmful to the environment than using fossil fuels?
The grand transition from a fossil fuel-based economy to a green one is underway. It will involve a fundamental shift in the way we generate and use energy for various purposes. Instead of drilling and mining for fossil fuels, we’ll need to mine for critical minerals to manufacture a whole lot of “clean” technologies like solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries.
This raises some common questions — when we account for the impacts of the mining and manufacturing of these technologies, are they really better for the environment, human rights, and climate than the fossil fuel alternatives they’re replacing?
In general, the answer is yes. Clean technologies will have a non-zero impact, but they will be much smaller than the dirty fossil fuel status quo.
Which requires more mining — fossil fuels or clean energy?
The short answer to this question is that fossil fuels require much more mining and drilling than clean energy technologies. Today the world mines 8 billion tons of coal every year, whereas the clean energy transition is estimated to require around 3.5 billion tons of minerals in total over the next three decades.
Fracking and renewable energy are two different approaches to supplying our energy needs. These are their main differences and environmental impacts:
1. Fracking:
o Process: Fracking extracts gas and oil from unconventional rock formations, such as shale. It involves injecting high-pressure water to fracture the rock and release trapped hydrocarbons.
o Negative impacts:
§ Water consumption: Each fracking well requires large amounts of water (approximately 200,000 m³).
§ Toxic chemicals: Up to 500 chemicals are used in the process, some of which are toxic.
§ Trade secret: The exact composition of the fracturing fluid is confidential.
§ Environmental risks: Water pollution, methane emissions, and possible earthquakes.
o Advantages:
§ Increases gas and oil reserves.
§ Fewer carbon emissions than coal.
2. Renewable energies:
o Types: Include solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass.
o Benefits:
§ Cleanliness: They do not emit greenhouse gases.
§ Renewability: Inexhaustible and sustainable.
§ Less impact: They do not require drilling or chemicals.
o Challenges:
§ Intermittency: They depend on weather conditions.
§ Infrastructure: They require investments in facilities and networks.
§ Lower efficiency.
In short, while fracking can expand fossil fuel reserves, renewable energy offers a more sustainable long-term solution to reduce carbon emissions and guarantee energy supplies.
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