Fracking: a threat to the climate and creation
Andy Gheorghiu warns: fracked gas causes massive damage to the environment and people. Why energy policy is now becoming an ethical problem.
As part of a networking meeting organised by the interfaith environmental group Greenfaith Germany, our Global Sustainability Officer Waldemar Rausch met environmental expert Andy Gheorghiu. In conversation with Andy Gheorghiu, the serious consequences of fracking for people and the environment became very clear. Greenfaith has identified the issue of fracking as an area for action and Waldemar Rausch wants to get involved with the ELM project "Waldklang - ONE & ALL".
A destructive extraction method
Fracking expert Andy Gheorghiu paints a vivid and harrowing picture of global energy policy - a system that is increasingly coming into conflict with the integrity of creation. The starting point is the growing importance of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is mainly obtained from fracking. "Fracking is an extraction method that has a major impact," explains Andy Gheorghiu - and by this he means not only the enormous water consumption, but also the contamination of soils and the serious health consequences for the people affected.
Life in "sacrifice zones"
His description of the reality of life in the extraction regions is particularly depressing: "Above all, we have black people, Hispanics or indigenous people who are directly affected ... who live in so-called sacrifice zones." These "sacrifice zones" symbolise a world in which economic interests are placed above the dignity of people and nature. For a church perspective that understands creation as a gift and responsibility, this is a deeply disturbing development.
Climate risk greater than expected
The climate footprint of LNG (liquefied natural gas) also poses a moral challenge. Andy Gheorghiu emphasises: "If we realise that LNG is more harmful to the climate than coal ... then we will definitely miss the two-degree target." The consequences cannot be fully quantified, but they are "definitely very sustainable - in a negative sense for humanity, but also for everything that is worth living on this planet."
Responsibility and power structures
Waldemar Rausch gets to the heart of the ethical tension when he asks whether we have "built ourselves a kind of death trap". Andy Gheorghiu disagrees with a generalised "we", but sees clearly identifiable responsible parties: "A few individuals have decided to lead us in this fossil lock-in." At the same time, he calls on us not to shift responsibility, but to take action: "We collectively have the challenge of ... holding our political leaders to account."
For a church that is committed to the preservation of creation, this is a clear mandate. It is not just about energy policy, but about justice, peace and the future of a habitable planet. Andy Gheorghiu puts it like this: "This is not just about energy. This is about defending our democracy ... and a policy of peace."
Hope through joint action
Despite all the drama, the dialogue does not end in resignation, but in hope. "Working together is more powerful than what the few want to impose on us," says Andy Gheorghiu. This hope is based on solidarity - with those affected locally and with each other. It is a call to raise our voices, take responsibility and actively stand up together for the preservation of creation.
I work very closely with the affected communities in the USA, with myself, and also with the affected communities on the import side in Germany. And it is precisely this standing together in solidarity and fighting together in solidarity that has the power not only to stand up to this process, so to speak, but to bring it to a halt.
