DDT was first used for Malaria disease vector control in Uganda in the extreme area of Rwangaminyeto, Kihihi sub county in the present day Kanungu district in South Western Uganda from 1959- 1963;
The debate for its re-introduction in Uganda began in 2004 ( Hon. John Ken Lukyamuzi’s Motion in Parliament);
In 2005, the Ministry of Health (MOH) Commissioned an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for DDT;
In 2006, a research on DDT was done in Kanungu district by the Makerere University Researchers headed by Prof Bimenya JS;
In 2006 again, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) under Dr. Henry Aryamanya Mugisha approved the use of DDT Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) but with conditions;
In 2007, Uganda Network on Toxic Free Malaria Control (UNETMAC) was formed specifically to advocate for a malaria free world as well as a toxic free future;
In April-May 2008, DDT Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) was piloted in the districts of Oyam and Apac in Northern Uganda with funding from the United States Presidential Malaria Initiative (PMI) through a US based private company called Research Triangle International (RTI);
UNETMAC supervised the exercise and witnessed gross violations as per the requirements under the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) as well as Uganda’s Laws;
On the 30th Day of June, 2008, 8 members of UNETMAC who include organic farmers such as Lango Cooperative Union Ltd, food exporters such as Shares Uganda Ltd and conservationists such as Pro-biodiversity Conservationists in Uganda (PROBICOU) petitioned the Government of the Republic of Uganda in the high court through Ms.Tumusiime, Kabega and Co. Advocates and Ms Nile Law Chambers to stop DDT IRS;
The case was registered as Miscellaneous Cause No. 149 of 2008;
In the same year (2008), a court injunction halting the spraying of DDT in Uganda was granted 2008;
On April 3, 2009, this injunction was lifted by the High Court when the lawyers refused to appear in court and neither to inform the petitioners;
On June 2, 2009, UNETMAC filed a fresh case registered as Constitutional Petition N0 14 of 2009 through her new lawyers, Ms Niwagaba and Mwebesa Advocates (Affidavits signed by Mr.Ellady Muyambi, Dr. Ogaram David Akuban and Prof. Afuunaaduula Oweyegah);
On March 23, 2010, the conferencing of the case was held by the two parties (Attorney General and Petitioner’s lawyer and the hearing of the case had been prolonged since then;
The HEARING of the case has now been fixed on Monday February 17, 2014 at 9:30am at the Constitutional Court at Twed Plaza near Fairway Hotel, Kampala;
THE RULING OF THE CASE TOOK PLACE TODAY, TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2014 AT THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT AT TWED PLAZA NEAR FAIRWAY HOTEL, KAMPALA.
KINDLY NOTE THAT THE CASE HAS BEEN DISMISSED ON PRETEXT THAT IT WAS FILLED IN THE WRONG COURT. Please, see attached the details of the ruling.
We will meet with our lawyers tomorrow and chart a way forward. What we have in mind at the moment is either to appeal in the Court of Appeal or to file a fresh case in the High Court.
It is vital to note that with expected funding from PMI through a new US based private company called Abt Associates Inc, Uganda intends to implement a comprehensive IRS programme using DDT as one of the pesticides;
This will be done in the 10 districts of Northern Uganda districts (Kitgum, Lamwo, Pader, Agago, Apac, Kole, Oyam, Gulu, Amuru and Nwoya) which are presumably regarded as having the highest malaria transmission rates in Uganda.
Thursday, 13 March 2014
Pesticides-l Digest, Vol 150, Issue 8
Title: The Perplexing Paradox of Paraquat: The Case for Host-Based Susceptibility and Postulated Neurodegenerative Effects
Authors: B.C. Jones, X. Huang, R.B. Mailman, L. Lu and R.W. Williams
Source: Journal of Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology, published online, 2014
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jbt.21552/full
Paraquat is an herbicide used extensively in agriculture and has also been proposed to be a risk factor for Parkinson's disease. To date, experimental, clinical, and epidemiological data on paraquat neurotoxicity have been equivocal. In this short review, we discuss some technical and biological mechanisms that contribute to inconsistencies regarding paraquat neurotoxicity. We hypothesize that individual genetic variations in susceptibility generate major differences in neurotoxic risk and functional outcome. Identifying these heritable sources of variation in host susceptibility, and their role in complex gene–environment interactions, is crucial to identify risk biomarkers and to devise better prevention and treatment for those exposed to paraquat and other potential neurotoxicants.
Authors: B.C. Jones, X. Huang, R.B. Mailman, L. Lu and R.W. Williams
Source: Journal of Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology, published online, 2014
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jbt.21552/full
Paraquat is an herbicide used extensively in agriculture and has also been proposed to be a risk factor for Parkinson's disease. To date, experimental, clinical, and epidemiological data on paraquat neurotoxicity have been equivocal. In this short review, we discuss some technical and biological mechanisms that contribute to inconsistencies regarding paraquat neurotoxicity. We hypothesize that individual genetic variations in susceptibility generate major differences in neurotoxic risk and functional outcome. Identifying these heritable sources of variation in host susceptibility, and their role in complex gene–environment interactions, is crucial to identify risk biomarkers and to devise better prevention and treatment for those exposed to paraquat and other potential neurotoxicants.
Title: Wash. pesticide worker removal up in 2013
Date: 11 March 2014
Source: Capital Press
http://www.capitalpress.com/article/20140311/ARTICLE/140319953
Overexposure to pesticides caused nine orders for temporary work removal of pesticide applicators in Washington in 2013, according to the state Department of Labor & Industries.
That’s the most since 18 were temporarily removed in 2007. There were five in 2012, none in 2011 and 2010, seven in 2009 and one in 2008. There were seven in 2006, 10 in 2005 and a record 22 in 2004, the first year of monitoring.
Those temporarily removed in 2013 were all applicators employed by six separate tree fruit growers in Central Washington, says an L&I report. All nine handled toxic organophosphate and n-methyl carbamate pesticides, including Lorsban 4E, Guthion and Sevin 4F.
Guthion, used to control codling moth in apples and pears and also used in cherries, was banned by the EPA in September 2012. However, growers were allowed to use up existing supplies through September 2013.
The 2014 results should be interesting with Guthion gone, said Richard Fenske, director of the Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Fenske and Kirk Mayer, manager of the Washington Growers Clearing House Association in Wenatchee, were involved in the start of the monitoring program when it was done by the state Department of Health.
The program checks workers for levels of cholinesterase, a blood enzyme needed for nervous system health. A number of compounds, including caffeine, medications and chemicals found in pesticides, can depress cholinesterase levels.
Mayer noted there’s never been a reported pesticide illness by anyone monitored by the program. He said he’s surprised the number of temporary work removals is up this year and that he gives little credence to the 22 in 2004 because there were procedural problems in the first year.
“When we have a (cholinesterase) depression among pesticide workers it’s a fairly high possibility that it’s pesticide related, but there’s also a smaller possibility it could be caused by other things like diet, drugs and alcohol,” Mayer said.
“I’ve considered it to be a success story because the cholinesterase measurement catches depression before it gets too severe. Workplace removal occurs usually before there’s any symptoms,” Fenske said.
L&I work site field evaluations of action-level depressions of cholinesterase identified multiple Pesticide Worker Protection Standard violations that may have contributed to over exposure including training, respiratory protection and personal protective equipment requirements, the report states.
“One concern consistently noted during work site evaluations was often finding employer-provided handler training to be of limited quality,” the report states.
Early on the program revealed potential exposure from baseball caps and sweatshirt hoods that didn’t get cleaned and weren’t fully covered by protective clothing, Mayer said.
“A value in the program has been increased cooperation and communication” among L&I and the departments of Agriculture and Health that has led to them working more closely to address potential causes, he said.
The state Department of Agriculture has a good hands-on pesticide applicator training program designed for Spanish-speaking people, Fenske said. The Clearing House Association and other groups sponsors some of the training, the program could use more funding and be expanded, Mayer said.
Temporary worker removal is triggered by a 30-percent depression in red blood cell cholinesterase or a 40-percent decline in serum cholinesterase while a 20-percent depression requires employer review of pesticide handling practices.
There were four cases in the 20 percent range in 2013. A total of 328 growing operations and 1,994 pesticide handlers participated in baseline cholinesterase testing. Of the 1,994, 226 were tested at least once more during the application season.
Use of certain products triggers voluntary baseline testing and the amount of usage triggers second and third testing, Fenske said.
Depression of cholinesterase in the blood and can lead to nerves being over stimulated to the point of exhaustion, blurred vision, diarrhea, tremors, seizures, loss of consciousness and death, L&I has said.
Farm organizations say pesticides are safe if administered properly, but environmentalists have been working for years to ban some of them as too dangerous.
Title: Determination of Pesticide Residues in Honeybees using Modified QUEChERS Sample Work-Up and Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Ż. Bargańska, M. Ślebioda and J. Namieśnik
Source: Molecules, Vol. 19, 2014
http://scholar.google.co.za/scholar_url?hl=en&q=http://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/19/3/2911/pdf&sa=X&scisig=AAGBfm2BlUDhds_ImVMGAkPiiAjZ0oeMGw&oi=scholaralrt
Increasing emissions of chemical compounds to the environment, especially of pesticides, is one of factors that may explain present honeybee colony losses. In this work, an analytical method employing liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was optimized for the simultaneous screening of 19 pesticides which have not been yet determined in honeybee samples from northern Poland (Pomerania). The sample preparation, based on the QuEChERS method combining salting-out liquid-liquid extraction to acetonitrile and a dispersive-SPE clean-up, was adjusted to honeybee samples by adding a small amount of hexane to eliminate beeswax. The recovery of analytes ranged from 70% to 120% with relative standard deviation ≤20%. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.91–25 ng/g. A total of 19 samples of honeybees from suspected pesticide poisoning incidents were analyzed, in which 19 different pesticides were determined.
Hello everyone,
Kenya is currently in the process of reviewing its current legislation on pest control products, originally from 1982. List member Githaiga Cyrus Wagate is asking for comments on the new bill being proposed (attached below). The proposed bill should fall in line with Kenya's constitution and internationally accepted best practices.Farmers and environmentalists have deep reservations about the impact of coal seam gas "fracking" on the landscape and water.
Origin Energy, in charge of coal seam gas drilling for the Australia Pacific liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, said on Thursday it had stopped work at 12 sites in Queensland as asbestos had been found in drilling fluids it was using.
Origin said the supplier of some of its drilling fluids, Australian Mud Company (AMC), owned by Imdex Ltd, had found that its imported walnut-shell based product NUTPLUG contained asbestos.
The asbestos scare is likely to add to concerns over coal seam gas drilling.
Farmers and environmentalists already fear that "fracking", a drilling technique that uses high-pressure water, sand and chemicals to extract gas trapped in rock, could contaminate water supplies.
Advertisement
Origin said it was providing support to anyone who may have been exposed to the drilling fluids.
A company spokeswoman was not immediately available to comment on whether any workers or landowners around the drilling sites had been affected or what impact the drilling problem might have on the Asia-Pacific LNG project, which is due to start exporting in mid-2015.
AMC is withdrawing its NUTPLUG product from the market and investigating where it came from, Origin said.
AMC officials were not immediately available for comment.
Origin is a 37.5 per cent owner of the Australia Pacific LNG project, alongside ConocoPhillips with 37.5 per cent and China's Sinopec with 25 per cent.
Origin stock slipped 0.6 per cent to $14.48, while Imdex's shares fell 1.5 per cent to $0.67 in a broader market that was up 0.7 per cent.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/business/carbon-economy/asbestos-scare-halts-coal-seam-gas-drilling-at-queensland-sites-20140313-34o83.html#ixzz2voQi3Vlm
Monday, 3 March 2014
Fracking health and safety impacts in Pennsylvania and Texas-SHALE GAS BULLETIN
Issue No. 27 - March 1, 2014
A twice-monthly email bulletin on shale gas issues for Irish decision-makers, journalists, and the general public1. Fracking health and safety impacts in Pennsylvania and Texas
The health impacts of the air pollution caused by oil and gas drilling in South Texas, are documented in a new report and short film, Big Oil, Bad Air -- Fracking the Eagle Ford Shale of South Texas (15 min.), produced jointly by the Center for Public Integrity, InsideClimate News and The Weather Channel, who spent eight months examining the regulation of oil and gas extraction in the Eagle Ford Shale. They found that for an area twice the size of the state of Massachusetts, containing more than 7,000 oil and gas wells, there are five air quality monitoring stations. The nearest station to the center of the most intensive drilling activity is 20 miles away. The state regulators and the industry insist that the data (collected by these stations) does not indicate any health risk, but residents of this region report worsening symptoms such as breathing difficulties and migraines.
Noting that benzene, another component of the air emissions, is known to cause leukemia, which can develop even decades after exposure, the film concludes with these words: "What's going on in the Eagle Ford Shale is more subtle than a refinery explosion or an oil spill. A toxic soup of chemicals is being released into the air, day in and day out. We won't know the effects of these emissions for a very long time."
On February 20,
2014, Environment
America
delivered a letter
to President
Obama from
over 1,000
health
professionals
calling for a
halt to
fracking on
health grounds.
Hawaii,
where electricity
costs are three
times higher than
the US national
average, at $0.34
/kWh, is already
beginning to
make the
transition to
renewable energy,
as this article relates. Revisions to
energy legislation
made in 2009
require electrical
power companies to
obtain 70% of
their energy
from clean
energy by 2030,
with 40% from
renewable energy
and 30% from
energy
efficiency.. This
legislation,
combined with tax
incentives and a
reduction in the
cost of solar
panels, has led to
a boom in
renewable energy
installations -- solar
accounts for 26%
of all
construction
activity in the
state.2. Hydraulic fracturing and water stress
One of the areas shown by the Ceres report to be under high or extremely high water stress is California. In the state, which is currently experiencing a severe drought, lawmakers have initiated a bill that would halt hydraulic fracturing operations in the state until a comprehensive review of their economic, environmental and public health impacts is completed. 3. Alternative energy strategies published for all 50 US states
The study is presented in the form of an interactive map. The plan for California, for example, envisages an energy mix in 2050 that includes residential and commercial rooftop solar panels (25%), solar plants (15%), onshore and offshore wind farms (25% and 10%), as well as wave devices, geothermal energy, and tidal turbines. The plan estimates the number of 40-year jobs created under this plan at 544,300 construction jobs and 204,800 operation jobs. It also estimates the savings to be made from "avoided health costs" to be $144.7 bn, the number of air pollution deaths avoided each year to be 15,900, and asserts that the plan would pay for itself "in as little as 6 years from air pollution and climate cost savings alone." Energy costs for the decade 2020-2030 are estimated to be $0.063 per kWh under the WWS plan, compared to a US average of $0.14 assuming "business as usual" (to which an additional $0.056 would be added as "health and climate externality costs of fossil fuels". Annual energy savings per person in 2050 are estimated to be $2,800. Louisiana is a coastal state with a population of 4.63 million, comparable to Ireland's 4.589 million. The Solutions Project plan for Louisiana envisages offshore wind generation as supplying 60% of the state's energy needs in 2050. More:
|
Lack of knowledge about the harms of unconventional gas -Australia
Harms unknown: health uncertainties cast doubt on the role of unconventional gas in Australia's energy future
Summary
- There is a push to increase production of unconventional gas in Australia, which would intensify the use of the controversial technique of hydraulic fracturing.
- The uncertainties surrounding the health implications of unconventional gas, when considered together with doubts surrounding its greenhouse gas profile and cost, weigh heavily against proceeding with proposed future developments.
- The health and environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing have been the source of widespread public concern. A review of available literature shows a considerable degree of uncertainty, but an emerging consensus about the main risks.
- Gas is often claimed to be a less climate-damaging alternative to coal; however, this is called into question by the fugitive emissions produced by unconventional gas extraction and the consequences of its export.
- While the health effects associated with fracturing chemicals have attracted considerable public attention, risks posed by wastewater, community disruption and the interaction between exposures are of also of concern.
- The health burdens of unconventional gas are likely to fall disproportionately on rural communities, the young and the elderly.
- While the health and environmental risks and benefits must be compared with other energy choices, coal provides a poor benchmark.
Australia
has significant reserves of unconventional gas, with combined estimated
reserves of coal seam, shale and tight gas amounting to over three and a
half times those of conventional gas.1
The industry is undergoing rapid growth as a result of advances in gas
extraction techniques — most notably the widespread adoption of
hydraulic fracturing, which involves injecting large quantities of
water, chemicals and proppants (materials like sand intended to keep
fractures open) into gas reservoirs to open fractures and allow the gas
to flow more readily. While coal seam gas (CSG) has been the focus of
much public debate in Australia, it is the nascent shale gas industry
that is likely to be responsible for the biggest expansion of hydraulic
fracturing in the coming decades.
The promise of reliable and affordable energy, the
potential windfall from exports, and claims that it is less damaging to
the climate than coal have become major selling points of unconventional
gas for its proponents. However, the industry has been beset by
controversy over its potential negative health, social and environmental
impacts.
Fears over the potential health implications of hydraulic
fracturing led over 100 medical practitioners to request the Obama
administration to halt the construction of new liquefied natural gas
(LNG) terminals on the basis that “[t]here is a growing body of evidence
that unconventional natural gas extraction from shale . . . may be
associated with adverse health risks through exposure to polluted air,
water, and soil”.2
There are also environmental, social and psychological factors that
have more indirect effects on health, and important social justice
implications arising from the distribution of health burdens.
While there is a dearth of conclusive evidence about the
health and environmental effects of fracturing, there is an emerging
body of evidence on the areas of greatest potential risk and uncertainty
in regards to water, air and social pathways. When taken into
consideration along with concerns about the level of fugitive emissions
and the potential effect on the development of renewable energy, these
health concerns make unconventional gas a doubtful saviour for
Australia's energy needs.
Wastewater is a greater hazard than fracturing fluids
The risk of fracturing chemicals directly contaminating
water used for drinking or irrigation has been one of the main sources
of public concern. While the risk of well casing failure, spills and
other accidents cannot be dismissed,3,4
these can be mitigated (though not removed entirely) by proper
regulation and the move towards “safer” fracturing fluids. However,
although any exposure would likely be to heavily diluted chemicals, the
toxicological effects of some chemicals in their dilute form are not
well understood.5,6
In particular, chemicals affecting the endocrine system — such as
ethoxylated 4-nonylphenol, which has been used in Australian operations6 — can affect humans at extremely low quantities.7
The fate of stranded fracturing fluids (those remaining
underground) has also not been well established, and there is a
significant failure rate for abandoned wells in the United States,
leading to materials leaking into the surrounding areas.8
Additionally, while the minor seismic activity caused by fracturing is
unlikely to result in earthquakes of a magnitude that can be felt, it
introduces a further risk of damage to well casings.
However it is wastewater, which contains naturally
occurring contaminants that are difficult and costly to remove (as well
as fracturing and drilling fluids), that poses a greater human and
environmental health risk.4,8
There are many documented and anecdotal cases of spills, failures of
holding dams, and the accidental and planned release of contaminated
wastewater in Australia and the US.9-11
Natural contaminants present in wastewater can include heavy metals and
radioactive materials, which have serious and well known health
effects.8 Uranium and heavy metals have been shown to be mobilised by fracturing and drilling chemicals.12
Unconventional gas developments create air pollution
One of the clearest health benefits of gas over coal is the
fact that it is responsible for significantly less damaging particulate
matter (PM) than coal.13
However, unconventional gas extraction is responsible for air pollution
from diesel fumes from infrastructure development and stationary
equipment, gas processing, venting and flaring. Fugitive methane
emissions can catalyse development of ground level ozone and combine
with PM to form smog, both of which contribute to respiratory disease,
among other health effects, and damage to crops — gas-field haze is a
well known effect in the US, with such pollution capable of travelling
substantial distances.14 Shale gas extraction can also involve the flaring or venting of “associated” gases, which can become hazardous air pollutants.15
The cumulative risks from these sources are difficult to
estimate, however one study calculated the cumulative cancer risks for
residents of Battlement Mesa, Colorado, to be “6 in a million for
residents > 1/2 mile from wells and 10 in a million for residents
≤ 1/2 mile from wells”, also noting other symptoms reported by residents
“consistent with known health effects of many of the hydrocarbons
evaluated”.16
It is likely that the distance of most Australian
operations from densely populated areas at present makes the health
impacts of air pollution less pronounced than in the US, although this
may change as the industry fights against current setback restrictions.
Although not conclusive, findings from an investigation of “downwinder's
syndrome” in Queensland suggested no direct link to air pollution,17 and pollution can also be reduced by improvements to equipment. However it is becoming apparent that any level of such air pollutants can have health implications at a population level.13
Further, given the opportunity to move to far less polluting
alternatives such as renewable energy, the reduction of PM compared with
coal is not enough to recommend further gas developments.
Moreover, air pollution remains a potentially serious
health issue for workers. Although the nature of risks to workers is
unclear, potential exposures include toxic materials and chemicals,
airborne silica from sand used as a proppant, and radon. A significant
number of air samples collected in the US exceeded the recommended
exposure limits for airborne silica, with one report claiming the
potential of developing silicosis to be a significant known health
hazard to workers involved in hydraulic fracturing.18
Social impacts exacerbate other health effects
Gas developments can have numerous and considerable social
and psychological effects, which may exacerbate more direct health
risks. Although there are potential benefits to communities, and effects
are likely to be mixed,14
a study of the impacts of mining and CSG operations on the mental
health of landholders in Queensland concluded that these operations
placed rural communities “under sustained stress”, with study
participants perceiving that these operations “significantly impacted or
exacerbated issues such as the health, social fabric and economy of the
community”, and the authors noting that local health services faced
“unsustainable pressure”.19
Unconventional gas developments in Australia also make use
of fly-in, fly-out and drive-in, drive-out work forces. While these
arrangements have some benefits, they have come under scrutiny for their
negative influence on community cohesion, increasing the cost of
living, and their association with high levels of alcohol and drug use,
mental health issues and violence (although these latter are also more
generally associated with the demographic of young men who make up most
of these workers).20
Social justice implications require more attention
Inequity can be an indirect cause of ill health, and the
development of unconventional gas resources threatens to distribute
health burdens in an unfair way. Most of the potential health hazards
are likely to be felt by groups such as the elderly, children and the
poor because of their vulnerability to the hazards involved, those
living in rural, agricultural and Indigenous communities because of the
location of operations, and future generations — the same groups liable
to bear significant costs of climate change — while the financial
benefits will accrue to the predominantly foreign owners of the
resources.
Australia must also take responsibility for the moral
implications of our role as one of the world's largest exporters of gas,
with exports expected to reach nearly 70% of gas production by 2035.
The emissions from the combustion of exported gas are not included in
our national inventory; however it is plausible that countries have a
prima facie responsibility for at least part of the harms
caused by their exported emissions. According to the International
Energy Agency, “Only one third of the carbon contained in proven
reserves of fossil fuels can be released into the atmosphere by 2050 if
the world is to achieve its under 2°C goal”.21
It is clear that, insofar as we need to extract and use
fossil fuel resources, this needs to occur in a controlled and fair way,
but there are currently no such constraints on our development of new
sources of gas.
The question of fugitive emissions
A further health issue raised by any proposed energy source
is its contribution to climate change, which has the potential to
reverse gains in global health, for example by exacerbating illnesses
and causing deaths through under-nutrition, extreme weather conditions
and disease.22
The combustion of gas produces about 40% of the greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions of coal, which has been offered as a reason to support the
industry's expansion, either as a “stepping stone” towards renewables or
as an end point in itself. However, this proposed benefit is called
into serious question by the level of fugitive emissions (emissions that
are not captured for use) produced by its extraction and transport.
There is considerable disagreement about the extent of these emissions,
with estimates ranging from 0.1% up to 9% of gas produced (with current
US Environmental Protection Agency estimations at about 2.4%).23-26 Notably, there are as yet no reliable figures for Australian operations,27
and regardless of how it compares to coal, unconventional gas is
responsible for large quantities of GHG emissions in absolute terms.
Unconventional gas is predominantly methane, which is
estimated to have a global warming potential 25 times greater than
carbon dioxide over a 100-year period, and 72 times greater over a
20-year period.28
The nature of climate change and the possibility of “tipping points” in
the short-term make it important to consider this perspective, with
several reports estimating fugitive emissions from unconventional gas to
be of a level (between 2%–3.2% of production) that would likely
undermine its climate benefits compared with coal in this time frame.29,30
The effects of climate change, such as increased floods and drought,
can be expected to exacerbate many risks, and are also likely to
disproportionately affect vulnerable groups. This highlights the
importance of considering the short-term global warming potential of
methane and the social justice implications of energy choices.
Increased gas production may also displace emerging
renewables markets in export countries and impair the growth of the
renewables sector in Australia. In addition, the technology used for
generating energy from exported LNG cannot be assumed to be of
comparable efficiency to that deployed in Australia.31
Implications of the health impacts of unconventional gas
The current evidence does not provide a clear picture of
the health implications accompanying the proposed expansion of
Australia's unconventional gas industry. In some cases, this is because
of gaps in our knowledge that could be rectified, while other risks are
inherently uncertain because they involve complex systems and
interacting health pathways.
It is important to note that the absence of concrete
evidence of harm does not equate to evidence of its absence. The
uncertainty over the health implications of unconventional gas is
greater than that surrounding any other energy choice, and suggests that
adopting an attitude of precaution — such as that employed with the
introduction of a new drug — is justified on the basis of health risks
alone.
However, as with decision making in a clinical setting,
appeals to precaution need to take place in a broader assessment of
risks and benefits. In the case of unconventional gas, this includes its
implications for climate change, which — as argued above — also
indicate its unsuitability. Further, while it is commonplace to compare
gas with coal, coal is known to inflict serious damage on human and
environmental health,32 making it a poor benchmark and obscuring unfavourable comparisons with renewable energy choices.
It is clear that Australia must quickly move beyond its
reliance on coal for health and environmental reasons. However, when
taking into consideration the uncertainties over health risks, the
unfavourable comparisons with other energy options, the climate risks
associated with fugitive emissions, the moral obligations Australia
faces as a gas exporter, the potential displacement of renewables and
doubts raised over the claim that gas will prove to be a cheap energy
option,33 the scale is firmly tipped against the further development of unconventional gas.
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