House of Commons Meeting - Fracking With Nature

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Cat Smith a newly elected MP has agreed to host a meeting in the House of Commons on the controversial topic of Fracking. Join us in this discussion on the controversial practice of fracking and the growing activism that has emerged to oppose it.

We are holding this meeting with the collaboration of Canterbury Christ Church University Activism Research Project.

Cat Smith is the new MP for Lancaster & Fleetwood and pledged to her electorate that

“I will oppose unsafe and environmentally damaging fracking and ensure action to tackle catastrophic climate change is high on the government’s agenda.”

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Cat was instrumental in pressurising Lancashire County Council to oppose two planning applications to drill for shale gas on the Fylde saying

"Fracking isn't wanted by the people of our area, but the government want to push ahead regardless..”

Other speakers include,

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Julie Wassmer is a freelance writer and author, member of the campaign groups ‘East Kent Against Fracking’ and ‘Mothers Against Fracking’. She also sits on the Environment Committee of Kent’s Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE- Kent) and is working as a supportive stakeholder on the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal (PPT) on Fracking (http://www.tribunalonfracking.org/). Julie is a professional TV drama writer who has worked on various TV series including London’s Burning and Eastenders. Her autobiography 'More Than Just A Coincidence' was Mumsnet Book of the Year 2011.

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Damien Short is Director of the Human Rights Consortium at the School of Advanced Study, University of London and a Reader in Human Rights. His recent work has focussed on the human rights dimensions of extreme energy. In particular, he has researched the impacts of Tar Sands production in Alberta, Canada on downstream indigenous communities and on the human rights impacts of fracking. Damien is a core member of the planning team of the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal on fracking and is a frequent contributor to the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Damien is also the Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Human Rights.

The Government estimates that there are 1,300 trillion cubic feet of shale gas under Britain but it’s fair to say that much of it may be difficult to access. Having said that around 1,000 fracking sites could be in operation by 2020.

Protestors say that drilling for gas will cause devastation to communities, which will also feel the impact of heavy vehicles passing through them as they carry sand, water, chemicals and drilling gear. And because fracking is heavily dependent on water, it will produce large quantities of chemical effluent. It will also have a profound effect on climate change.

Many argue that fracking will devastate communities, and the environment, be expensive and release huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. They argue it is unneccesary when there are renewable energy alternatives. They believe this is another case of Governments doing the bidding of the shale gas industry.

This meeting is being planned in collaboration with Canterbury Christ Church University and their Activism Research Project.

You can find out more here .. (http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/social-and-applied-sciences/psychology-politics-and-sociology/politics-and-international-relations/research-and-collaboration/activism-research.aspx)

and also The London Debate Network is also supporting us in developing this and you can find their meetup group at https://www.meetup.com/londondebate/

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Hope you join us in what should be a really interesting meeting.