The Carbon Brief: Climate change experts support shale gas - but only with caveats

The UK should go ahead with fracking for shale gas in order to reduce emissions from the energy sector, according to media reports on a study by leading climate change experts. But it turns out not to be that simple. While the new report argues that the country could cut emissions by burning natural gas instead of coal, it warns significant amounts of UK shale gas may not commercially available until the late 2020s - and emissions will only come down with carbon capture technology.

The report from the Grantham Institute at LSE primarily analyses what a new 'dash for gas' could mean for UK energy prices and emissions. It asks whether a significant expansion of gas power could bring down greenhouse gas emissions and energy prices, and if exploiting UK shale gas specifically could increase the country's energy security.  MORE