The Observer view on fracking fissures obscuring the need to embrace green technologies | Observer editorial

Even as we argue about the controversial drilling, we risk overlooking the urgent need for new sources of energy

Within a few days, the UK shale industry's long-delayed bid to frack for gas beneath the English countryside is set to begin in earnest. Cuadrilla, the company that is currently leading the charge to use fracking technology in Britain, has confirmed that it plans to start working on a well in Lancashire later this week. The response of anti-fracking protesters - some having already been given lengthy prison sentences for their protests against the company's operations - can be expected to be intense, vociferous and prolonged. One local businessman has already filed an injunction to try to further delay drilling, though it is unclear how long this manoeuvre will slow down Cuadrilla's plans.

Opponents of fracking point out that Britain is committed to halting the combustion of all fossil fuels as a means of generating electricity by the 2030s. After that, we will have to rely on only carbon-free technologies, such as solar, wind and nuclear plants, in order to provide power for our homes and factories. So why, ask green protesters, are we creating a new industry that will only make it easier for us to obtain gas and oil? Why bring these fossil fuels to the surface now? Why not invest more in green technologies, such as tide and wave power?

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