"Jam Tomorrow": Unconventional Gas and Britain's Energy Future

'Jam Tomorrow' is a new Free Range research initiative on shale gas/coalbed methane, gas "fracking", and the future of Britain's energy economy. As plans for the development of shale gas and coalbed methane in the UK are advanced (along with underground gasification, they're collectively called "unconventional gas"), the debate on our energy future is seemingly reduced to a single factor; carbon. In fact the complexities of how we source our energy today, and how – and how much – we will be able to produce in the future are far more complex than the issue of carbon emissions.

The seemingly strange title for this initiative reflects the current infatuation of politicians, lobby groups and certain environmental campaigners with primarily technological solutions to our ecological and development difficulties. All these technologies appear to promise a new, wonderful and apparently simple solution to our problems "tomorrow" – the problem is, that tomorrow never seems to arrive! This is not a novel perception; it's one alluded to by Lewis Carroll in his book, Alice Through the Looking Glass:

but never jam today

Jam Tomorrow examines unconventional gas proposals, alongside other options such as nuclear power and renewable energy, to see what our possible energy future might become – and unfortunately, for the "business as usual" view at least, it's not the future promised by the proponents of these various technologies. In presenting the evidence for this conclusion we'll seek to address a straightforward question; does unconventional gas promise us a secure future as our North Sea supplies run out?; or is it just a short term fix that can't escape global consequences of the peak in oil, gas and coal production?

'Work in progress' icon
Currently the resources for this initiative are still under development. We hope to provide a more in-depth description of the initiative and the issues it covers shortly. The slides from the presentation should be available as a 'virtual presentation' on the workshop page sometime in Spring 2012.

Jam Tomorrow Resources

E11. Fracking and Coalbed Methane – Unconventional gas in the UK: When gas fracking and other "unconventional" energy resources are discussed in the media the focus is usually on the technology used to produced the energy, or the impact this might have on the environment. In fact, the significant feature of the exploitation of unconventional energy resources is that our present energy situation has become so precarious that companies and government consider these valid energy sources, and the public interest demands that this aspect of the problem be examined.
A1. Fracking, Do Something! – Action on unconventional gas: As we reach the limits to growth the certainties that underpin the modern economic system are failing. As 'easy to produce' oil and gas deplete the energy industry is seeking more extreme fuel sources, from deep ocean drilling to tar sands. 'Unconventional gas' is a series of technologies that seek to get natural gas from hard to produce/unconventional sources of rock. This sheet looks at the legal and procedural issues related to the development of unconventional gas in the UK, and how the public can intercede at each stage in order to oppose these developments.
The Jam Tomorrow Presentation: Information on the Jam Tomorrow Presentation.