The EU economy needs shale gas to spur jobs and recovery, while breaking the traditional link between economic recovery and a rise in carbon emissions, Poland's environment minister said. Poland, which is heavily dependent on carbon-intensive coal and imported gas from Russia, is keen to develop its shale gas reserves.
In the United States, shale gas has created a glut of cheap energy and lowered carbon emissions because it has pushed out more polluting coal. But many European Union politicians dispute the energy form's environmental credentials. Debate in the EU parliament during the week emphasised the need for caution and tough regulation.
"I think the challenge we are facing is that generally an increase in GDP comes with an increase in emissions. We need to decouple these two elements," Polish Environment Minister Marcin Korolec said in a telephone interview at the weekend. "Especially during the economic crisis, we have the double challenge of needing cheap energy, but energy obtained in a sustainable way. We will not come out of the EU economic crisis if we continue to believe in the simple paradigm of high energy prices."
Many analysts have said the US shale gas revolution is very unlikely to be repeated in Europe because of different land ownership laws and high levels of public opposition. Korolec said there was no reason shale gas could not happen in Europe, but acknowledged the need for regulation.
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