You can t have your gas and drink your water! LianeGreeff EcoDoc Africa

Transcription

1 You can t have your gas and drink your water! LianeGreeff EcoDoc Africa

2 Hydraulic fracturing in the context of South Africa s looming water crisis

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5 Exploring the water-energy energy-climate change nexus: How should we, as concerned people, respond?

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7 any strategy that focuses on one part of the waterfood-energy nexus without considering its interconnections risks serious unintended consequences )

8 Hydraulic fracturing in the context of South Africa s looming water crisis 20-40%???

9 State of SA Energy Water impacts of energy Energy impacts of water

10 Fracking and Climate Change CO2 released when burned CH4 methane that escapes (8%) Time period methane far worse in the short term Full life cycle analysis + methane emissions Fracking worse than coal for climate change

11 State of SA Water 98% allocated 2030: minus17% Groundwater used in 75% SA 94% of Karoo Towns depend on groundwater Carolina could happen all over the Karoo (J.Du Toit).

12 Climate Change

13 2005 Annual water balance in South African catchments based on data from the Department of Water and Forestry (Source: Colvine et al. 2009

14 What is fracking

15 CHOOSE WATER

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17 wells?????

18 Impacts on water Water requirements Fracking fluids Groundwater contamination Surface water and land contamination Wastewater management

19 Water requirements million litres litres of water WHERE FROM????????? Treated??? Transported???

20 Fracking fluids - chemicals 2% UK: tonnes /km2 Six-well pad: million litres of chemicals for the first frack Each well the amount of chemicals used is equal to bags of fertilizers of 50 kg each

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22 Carcinogenic Mutagenic Persistent bio-accumalative Endocrine disruptors Reproductive impacts Acute toxins groundwater

23 Groundwater contamination methane gas migrating fracking fluids that return up the well deep-water fracking fluids and produced water migrating towards the surface along preferential pathways, such as dolerite dykes

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27 Methane concentrations were found to be 17 times higher

28 Contaminated water one well pad Olympic-sized swimming pools. If 10% of South Africa was fracked over the next 50 to 100 years = 40 million Olympicsized swimming pools of contaminated water underground All want to migrate upwards

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31 Earthquakes and deep well injection

32 Surface water and land contamination Professor Ingraffea: There is one serious environmental concern for every 150 wells drilled to date. You do the math; if we are talking hundreds of thousands of wells we are doing hundreds or thousands of spills

33 Upward migration of fracking fluids over time Van Tonder and De Langa: proved that an upward vertical flow gradient exists, and that fracking fluids which are left underground will migrate over time to the surface and will contaminate shallow ground-water aquifers or surface water.

34 Surface and land contamination Spillage, overflow water or leaching from mud During transfer and final mixing with water During drilling Spillage of flowback fluid during transfer to storage Leakage or overflow from storage ponds / evaporation pits Pipeline and casing breakage During transfer from storage to tankers

35 Lack of regulatory Capacity Seven-fold loss of engineers and technologists Last 15 years - municipal sector has lost six-sevenths of its engineers and technicians Lack of coordination between departments Lack of enforcement capacity

36 Overarching recommendations

37 Analyse the implications of the lifting of the moratorium

38 Need for science to inform policy

39 Need for undertaking strategic environmental assessments to guide development at the policy, planning and programme levels

40 Research recommendations

41 Undertake a comprehensive water-energy energy audit of the fracking process compared to alternative energy development options

42 A full life-cycle analysis of the climate change implications of the fracking process Research into the upwards migration of fracking fluids Research the implications of using toxic chemicals in the fracking fluids Water Research Commission s Role

43 Governance, policy and legislation recommendations

44 Adopt the precautionary principle Strong regulation and enforcement Independent regulatory body Role of the Department of Water and Environment Affairs Oil and gas industry pay the costs of all externalities Burden of proof and compensation Clear legislation on fracking

45 Public Participation and transparency recommendations

46 Public Participation and transparency recommendations: Initiate public debate to analyse fracking and its implications for South Africa, which an inclusive multi-stakeholder process could help inform Full public disclosure of wastewater disposal and chemicals used in the fracking process should be mandatory

47 National Water Resources Strategy To guide South Africa s water resources management for the next 20 years. Silent re Fracking

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50 Carolina

51 CHOOSE WATER

52 Eco Doc Africa Video Photography Words EcoDoc Africa aims to bring visual clarity to environmental and people s issues and experiences.

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