The main reason for attending the Dumfries Friends of the Earth Scotland
sponsored screening at the Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre was to educate
myself on the pros and cons of hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’ which the FOES
describes as a controversial technique often used to exploit unconventional
sources of gas, such as shale gas, or in the case of Scotland, coal bed
methane. But disappointedly what we were presented with was an American
documentary Gasland (2010), written and directed by Josh Fox, which had a
very one-sided view of this technique. According to the hand-out advertising
the film the process involves drilling deep into the earth, pumping in a high
pressure mix of water, sand and some dodgy sounding chemicals, some of which
are not biodegradable, to create fractures in the rock and release the gas.
Which I must admit does not sound too environmentally friendly! Nonetheless I would have appreciated hearing
both sides of this hotly debated issue.
But the main difficulties I had with this film is the same problem
I’ve had with two other recent documentary’s We
Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks (2013) and Mea
Maxima Culpa (2012) in that they all overstretch their point by repeatedly
bombarding their audience with the same information. This makes what should be
an interesting and informative subject into a monotonous dirge that could have
been put right by some intelligent editing.
 |
| Coalbed Methane Extraction. |
Thankfully an old friend of the RBC Film Club, Ian Gasse
introduced Mr Paul Daley who represented the Friends of the Earth Scotland who
kindly took a lively Q&A session following the film that, as sometimes is
the case, was better and more informative than the main attraction. He started
by admitting that what we saw in the documentary will not necessary happen here
and explained that in Scotland its different from America where this kind of removal
of shale gas always involves fracking but coalbed methane extraction does not,
at least in the early years of development. But he went on to warn us that as
the gas flow starts to decline wells are often fracked to increase
productivity. An example was given that in the case of Australia the industry
estimates that up to 40% of coalbed methane wells end up being fracked. Then he alerted us to the perceived dangers
of fracking that included a risk of chemicals seeping into local water tables,
poisoning drinking water for humans and animals, contaminating agricultural
land and minor earth tremors!
Thanks to our local independent cinema we at least had a chance
to learn something about this matter even if I’m unsure whether the film dealt
with the facts or a single mans obsession. To be honest it’s not a black and
white subject, lots of grey areas, but our wonderfully caring government is
offering tax breaks to private companies that are carrying out this work so it
will continue. But I think, after listening to the packed Q&A session, if
our delicate planet can survive without this form of energy extraction then it
should do so even at the cost of driving
down energy bills.
For more information see http://www.foe-scotland.org.uk/fracking
Comment from Ian Gasse.
ReplyDeleteHave read your blog on Gasland. What I would say in defence of the film is that the director tried several times to get interviews with the drilling companies and apart from one, which then actually withdrew from the interview, he got no responses. There was also a list in the credits at the end of all the companies and agencies who had refused to be interviewed. And it seemed to me that the lobbyists for the industry in the Congress committee, who might have provided some 'balance', ie alternative point of view, were appalling, condemning themselves without trying.
The first time I saw the film, like you, I felt it was probably too long and repetitive but on second and third viewings I was more impressed by it. It raises some very important questions and shows graphically, and literally explosively, some of the effects, on water supply, on human and animal health, and on the environment, and, apparently, the complete absence of any kind of protection for residents. Drilling companies seem to be able to acquire the rights to drilling on anybody's land – and the behaviour of Cheney in using his position of power to change the law and create risk-free opportunities for his capitalist friends beggars belief. The film was worth watching just to see and understand how US politics can be manipulated in the interests of profits against the people.
My negative comments about the film would be about the technical quality of some of the filming – rapid movements, out of focus shots, filming into the sun, peculiar filmic effects, etc. Having said that, it was no doubt a very low budget film.