Explainer-in-brief: Fracking problems on the horizon for net zero
The latest flashpoint over the cost of green policies has been about fracking – a way to extract natural gas and oil from shale by pumping a water mixture down into the earth. Around 30 Tory MPs and peers, including Lord Frost, are calling for the ban on fracking to be scrapped. They argue that the UK needs this home-made gas to navigate future energy crises.
Ministers have declined the call, claiming that fracking is unpopular and risky for local communities. The ban has been in place since 2019.
This row is symptomatic of an emerging pattern. As the cost of living crisis looms larger and larger, Tory MPs feel increasingly uneasy about the short-term financial sacrifices needed to achieve long-term sustainability gains. The green agenda is popular as long as we don’t have to pay for it. For now, Boris Johnson is holding firm against the call to scrap the ban. But he’ll have his work cut out to keep fending off the cost of net zero debate.