Science Journalist, Scribbler, Question-asker, Audio-wrangler, Note-taker, Tea-drinker, and (Occasional) Author
By Sarah Wild, first published by GroundUp.org.za South Africa’s National Biodiversity Institute is calling on nature lovers to help it save the Karoo — with science “Scientists know very little about the plants and animals in the Karoo, and there is an urgent need to document the indigenous species found in this important part of…
The Strategic Environmental Assessment for shale gas exploration has given us four possible fracking futures: No shale exploration Exploration, but no economically viable gas About 5-trillion cubic feet of gas, which would be enough for one 1,000MW power station About 20-trillion cubic feet of gas, which could power two 2,000MW power stations and a gas-to-liquid…
Fracking, already controversial for its potential environmental impact, could spell disaster for poor and corrupt municipalities, bringing further harm to areas already poorly governed. This is one of the possibilities sketched out in an as-yet-unreleased assessment of the possible impact of hydraulic fracturing to recover shale gas in South Africa. This week, an assessment team…
It began in 2010: whispers of “shale gas”, “game changer”, “fracking” and “Karoo”. They issued from boardrooms, diplomatic quarters, government circles and the quiet corners of sleepy towns and soon infiltrated conversations all around South Africa. By 2013, this murmur had turned into a cacophony of contestation, thousands of newspaper centimetres and hours of television…