Motion for a resolution | Doc. 13687 | 27 January 2015

Moratorium on fracking across Europe

Signatories: Mr Geraint DAVIES, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Eka BESELIA, Georgia, SOC ; Mr Philippe BLANCHART, Belgium, SOC ; Mr Boriss CILEVIČS, Latvia, SOC ; Mr Michael CONNARTY, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Elvira DROBINSKI-WEIß, Germany, SOC ; Ms Ute FINCKH-KRÄMER, Germany, SOC ; Mr Gerardo GIOVAGNOLI, San Marino, SOC ; Ms Monica HAIDER, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Tadeusz IWIŃSKI, Poland, SOC ; Mr Valeri JABLIANOV, Bulgaria, SOC ; Ms Valentina LESKAJ, Albania, SOC ; Ms Guguli MAGRADZE, Georgia, SOC ; Sir Alan MEALE, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Ermira MEHMETI DEVAJA, ''The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia'', SOC ; Ms Christine MUTTONEN, Austria, SOC ; Ms Carina OHLSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Luc RECORDON, Switzerland, SOC ; Mr Alexander ROMANOVICH, Russian Federation, SOC ; Mr Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria, SOC ; Mr Jim SHERIDAN, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Arturas SKARDŽIUS, Lithuania, SOC ; Mr Leonid SLUTSKY, Russian Federation, SOC ; Ms Dana VÁHALOVÁ, Czech Republic, SOC ; Ms Birutė VĖSAITĖ, Lithuania, SOC ; Mr Eric VORUZ, Switzerland, SOC ; Ms Gisela WURM, Austria, SOC

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

The Parliamentary Assembly notes that only one fifth of the world’s proven fossil fuel reserves (excluding shale gas) can be burnt if dangerous climate change is to be avoided and that fracking (unconventional shale gas extraction) has already contributed to falling oil prices and increasing emissions.

Fracking pumps water underground together with hundreds of chemicals creating a cocktail of toxic, carcinogenic and radioactive contents that can pollute water supplies beneath the ground, through leaked pipes, dumping and inadequate treatment. In addition, air pollution from fracking includes volatile organic compounds, carcinogens and chemicals causing respiratory irritation and endocrine disruption as well as methane and carbon dioxide which cause global warming. Fracking also creates traffic, spillages and noise which damage local environments.

Europe has previously taken leadership in controlling global carbon emissions and there is already a moratorium or ban on fracking in the Netherlands, Germany and France as well as Quebec and New York State. Therefore, the Assembly should call for a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) across Europe.