FRACKING BLUES, third note (English version.) Indicators for monitoring environmental and social status in areas with hydro-fracture
Source: Semana Sostenible Magazine. Original photo footnote: Countries like the United States have been hydro-fractures for years despite community protests. Photo: Semana magazine. [1]
The first note of this blog on Fracking Blues explained the origin of the technique, why hydrofracture is considered an achievement of economics, information and drilling methods. The article explained where the idea comes from and said that the emotional burden is very intense in all aspects related to the hydrofracture. The absence of clear information, misinformation (unintentional inadequate information) disinformation (intentionally false information) and selective and biased information or cherry-picking" are common elements in the public information about the technique. This important topic will be considered below.
The second note explained that the main point that has enormous validity is the observation that the hydrofracture will exacerbate CO2 emissions when we urgently should control them. Also, at the same time, the note explained that the use of the hydrofracture might generate economic or monetary strength to induce the shift towards renewable energy, without creating an economic crisis. To carry out hydro-fracture activities is necessary to follow the industrial standards and the country regulatory framework to ameliorate and manage CO2 emissions. Soon the hydrofracture shall be developed within the changing conditions of a transitional economy towards the New Economy needed to face climate change[2].
In this third and last note (I hope so) presents the need for feedback information for areas or economies or territories and populations where the hydrofracture is being performed; as well as those areas were the technique has the possibility of being adopted.
Again I note that the view of these blog notes is to give resources to the informed citizen or the supporters of Citizens Science to influence the proper handling of hydrofracture. It can be done directly with the industry using social and environmental plans or the local and environmental authorities. Contrary to the application of the precautionary principle required by new technologies and when a technique is entirely unknown, for the hydrofracture technique that is in its eight-decade of uses, the people and government shall concede the benefit of reasonable doubt for its use in new areas with specific social and environmental plans.
An essential element in defining the activities around citizen control of hydro-fracture is the absence of active information feedback coming from the territories that apply the technique. Without reliable information, it is challenging to know what is happening, and the information maladies are common in the oil industry sector.
The essential part of these present three blog notes is that the information maladies are the most common cause of troubles for the use of the hydro-fracture, while another smaller issue is that of the lack of cured information that conduces to the application of the precautionary principle.
The lack of information can be solved only by creating new information which requires that all interested parts, included the authorities, known and accept the initial environmental and social conditions. It should be noted that the government is the only one that must make decisions on behalf of all citizens, not the industry, not the detractors. In this sense, without local tests and hydrofracture pilots carried out with conditions and hypothesis and with previous decision criteria established for local conditions, there is no way to have new information to reach agreements between the interested parties.
For the current information about the hydrofracture, it is necessary to purge the data and cure it of its diseases.
Types of information maladies
|
||
Source ►
Author▼ |
Accurate
Information |
Inaccurate
information |
Non-intentional
changes |
Information
|
Misinformation
|
Intentional
changes |
Cherry-picked &
Biased Information |
Disinformation
|
Note: Feel free to copy and disseminate this chart, but cite the source.
The information maladies originate from the imprecise and scarce information provided by the same oil industry. In part, this situation of vague information is due to intellectual property rights, and part is the result of the industry lobby power at the regulatory houses. It seems that the oil industry doesn’t want to get entangled up in theme. Ordinary individuals fill this vacuum of hydrofracture information with naïve speculations and more imprecise information with no intentional changes generating misinformation.
The other two maladies are related to deliberate changes to promote the perpetrators' cause or their persona. It has two ways. One is with the selection of the data and information to present, excluding the data and information that does not fit their interests. The result is a set of biased information. Also, the other is the intentional use of falsehoods intended to provoke emotional reactions creating disinformation. In this group of information maladies, is the malicious hoax that is a falsehood deliberately constructed pretending to be true. Those maladies are exceedingly common in the accessible communications about the hydrofracture, and the correction is the essential task to have a common understanding between the promotors and detractor of the hydrofracture technique.
The task of curing the information must be done continuously. The only solution to biased information, misinformation, and disinformation are to educate the communities and correct all wrong information as soon as possible. After each communication with the above maladies, the concerned stakeholders or the government must provide curated communication. Remain silent will send a signal of giving up leaving a space that will be filled by the opponents with nonsensical information. The curated information provided has to be without intentional changes, verifiable and open to analysis. This task should also be done for the main public writings on hydrofracture. Otherwise, it will perpetuate the myths and lies about the technique of the hydrofracture.
The central point in this blog note is about the inadequate information feedback about the hydrofracture. The most critical feedbacks are in an aggregated form that allows comparing regions or dates to decide and take action. The absence; of feedback information at regional, local and punctual levels make difficult governmental control and concerned citizens activity when the situation requires an active response, the lack of information results in misunderstandings and diluting efforts and conduce to paralysis.
The return information systems at the national, state and municipal levels are best provided in a number that synthesizes the status called indexes. Leaving aside the controversy about indexes the most used at country, estates, and large cities are the Gross Domestic Product GDP. The GDP is a monetary measurement of all final goods and services entering the market in a period, usually on an annual basis. Since the creation of the modern version, the author Simon Kuznets warned about the use as a measure of welfare. The reason is that GDP does not include elements of human and social capital such as health, mortality, morbidity, crime suicides, poverty, dissolution of marriages, wasted free time, time daily transport to work, civility, citizen participation, income differences, necessary infrastructure; and much less, quality of the environment, loss of biodiversity, destruction of natural resources among others. As a result, defensive expenditures needed to address environmental conflicts and problems are considered positive. Therefore, as result of these shortcomings, human well-being is not directly increased with the highest income.
On top of that, the Neoliberal Economy tends to aggravate the disparity in income, adding another layer of complexity to the GDP. Then, the GDP index for countries, states and municipalities should be considered as a control indicator, but it is not suited to follow the development of hydro-fracture on those land units.
To have a more comprehensive index capable of reflecting the changes generated by the hydrofracture is necessary to include the information mentioned above that has been set aside by the GDP.
The most relevant index for tracking the effects of hydrofracture is the GENUINE PROGRESS INDICATOR (GPI). This indicator has been adopted by New Zealand and is being considered by OECD countries to compare the actual results of human activities GDP doesn't consider
The GPI Genuine Progress Indicator contains principles of environmental economics and sustainability. It has the monitoring of the information that the GDP lacks. Both GDP and GPI are essential indexes at the country, states, departments and large cities to measure economic activity progress. Decisions on hydrofracture should be based on the real progress tracked by the IPG index, but, still, it should be compared against GDP.
One country, Butan, has chosen to set aside GDP and rely on the happiness index called "Gross National Happiness Index" GNHI using the Alkire Foster method. Despite the confusion generated by the chosen name for the index, it is based on reliable social and economic developments.
Both indexes, GPI or GNHI have the information and structure capable of reflecting the macro scale or regional changes generated by powerful and capital-intensive industrial activities, resource use, and social impact activities like the hydrofracture.
At the municipal and local levels, the appropriate type of index is the Environmental Footprint. Several models can be used for hydro-fracture affected areas. To learn the use of the footprint methodologies by the interested citizens, I suggest the use of the WWF (WorldWildlife Fund) calculator. It is utile to learn the basic concepts of the ecological footprint tools and understand how this type of information works to follow-up[3] projects.
There are several indices at the industrial level already standardized, such as the ISO standards for greenhouse eases, energy and for water uses[4]”). These indices should be part of the family of ISO 14000 Environmental Management standards. If an interested citizen or a citizen organization wishes that work or industrial activity be developed within a logic consistent with the environment, the best way is to ask the authorities that international ISO 14000 standards are required. ISO standards allow for the progressive improvement of business and industrial activities.
The importance of return information should not be overlooked. Lord Kelvin[5] in sciences and Peter Druker in administration repeated: "What is not measured cannot be improved." Applying precise measurements in a comparable and repetitive manner is very important to dimension the impacts of the Hydro-fracture; and especially the application of international norms and standards.
Apart from these two large-scale monitoring for producing regions, the local scale of production fields and municipalities also need monitoring. The monitoring usually is required by the law and done by the oil industry following the licenses and permits.
Do citizens follow up is not a complicated activity for a citizen scientist. A simple weekly visit to a a set of defined observation points to do direct observations of smell, colour, oil shine, water transparency and presence in good health of indicator organisms or indicator species, such as water birds, fish, molluscs, insects, and related water biota, the presence of dead specimens, with photos can quickly be done. With the cell phone, it is possible to take pictures indicating the date, time and geopositioning, making easy to follow the impacts of the oil industry including the hydrofracture.
It is also important to remember that citizens interested in the responsible management of hydro-fracture activities have the right to know the environmental obligations and commitments contained in the studies, licenses, authorizations and permits that are publicly available in most countries. Citizens can follow up or accompany the company's tasks following principles, scientific, technical, administrative and legal.
Indices require state development or an independent institution capable of generating impartially the information that reflects a state, but it is also the basis for decision making. It is outside the scope of the dimensions of the interested citizen; but, the engaged citizen has the option to pressure their political representatives so that these indices are adopted.
Note on the photo:
The photo used by Semana Magazine to illustrate the case of hydrofracture is not a hydrofracture perforation; but, it presents two industrial activities: oil extraction on land used possibly for an industrial plantation of oil palm or African palm. In environmental terms, an industrial oil palm plantation has an ecological footprint more significant than oil extraction, especially on biodiversity; however, the oil industry can present severe problems in case of incidents or malicious actions of third parties.
[1] Visited September 13, 2019 https://sostenibilidad.semana.com/actualidad/articulo/consejo-de-estado--mantiene-la-suspension-de-hidro-fractura-en-colombia/46690
[2] Activities out of reach of citizen science were not mentioned (need of soil recuperation, recomposition of natural forests, scrub and savanas, aforestastion, reverse the desertificationón) all of them necessary for Co2 capture. Either the cloud farming from seas close to main deserts (Mediterranean and red Seas, the Persian Gulf), and the fertilization of blue oceanic waters.to promote the growth of diatoms to capture Co2. However, interested citizens should ask their governments to take these measures.
[4] ISO 14067: 2018, Greenhouse gases - Carbon footprint of products - Requirements and guidelines for quantification. ISO 14046 Water footprint - Principles, requirements and guidelines. ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems
[5] William Thompson Kelvin: “What Is not defined cannot be measured. What Is not measured trena not be improved. What Is not improved, always degrades; ” What is not defined cannot be measured. What is not measured cannot be improved. What is not improved, is always degraded.
Comments
Post a Comment