DEFINITION: A drilling technique which sees liquid pumped deep underground at high pressure to fracture rock and release oil or gas. Opponents claim that the process can contaminate water, cause earthquakes and exacerbate noise and traffic pollution.
See also: Shale gas
After achieving a Conservative Party majority in the 2019 General Election, Boris Johnson will now forge ahead with his Brexit plans. But, with climate and environmental standards featuring throughout the Party's manifesto, the returning Prime Minister will need to quickly address some key green policy concerns.
Labour has launched a future energy plan outlining how a net benefit of £800bn could be realised in the UK, by fast-tracking the nation's energy sector to net-zero emissions by 2030.
The UK is planning to invest in Argentina's controversial oil shale industry using a £1bn export finance deal intended to support green energy, according to government documents seen by the Guardian.
And breathe. In what has been the biggest political reshuffle since the 1960s, Andrea Leadsom has been appointed Business Secretary at BEIS, while Theresa Villiers has become Defra's new Environment Secretary. So, how well do the pair match up with their respective briefs?
Fracking should be banned, the UK must take global leadership on the climate emergency and a royal commission should decide how to build homes in an environmentally sustainable manner, an influential group of Conservative MPs has said.
