Which energy is good?

Energy issues are the central themes of the May issue of Europe Infos but major emphasis is also placed on the European Year of Citizens and social Europe, with two contributions on Nigeria and development policies. The review opens with an editorial by Frank Turner "The Ethical Challenge to Offshore Banking" (click here). Gas shale: a fracturing debate. Shale gas is an unconventional natural gas trapped in layers of organic-rich rock formations in the ground. Its extraction involves drilling downwards for up to 7000 metres, then turning the drill horizontally for another 2000 m. Then, to extract the gas hydraulic fracturing is performed, which involves pumping a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals into the rock. Three gas fields have indeed been found below Europe’s surface. This is how Francesco Msina describes gas shale, whose existence was discovered over two centuries ago, but it was exploited only recently. The commercialization of the gas is already revolutionizing consumption and energy costs in the United States and it is expected to have "concrete consequences on global gas and energy markets". But the problem is that "environmental and health concerns accompany the process of shale gas extraction", raising ethical questions regarding the balance between positive, probable and negative effects (enormous volumes of water, which cannot then be reused as it is treated with sand and chemicals, risk of contaminating aquifers, induced seismicity). Until now "Member States have been free to choose their own energy mix, so Poland is leading the shale gas exploration on the continent". Some aspects of the whole process cross national borders. The European Commission has conducted three studies and one public consultation which was closed last month. The results will be published soon. More scientific research is required along with effective involvement of citizens as conditio sine qua non to make appropriate decisions. A first ethical evaluation of fracking from a Christian perspective is not in favour of this new energy resource. Energy isn’t an economic issue only. José Ramos-Ascensão interviewed Emmanuel Agius, professor of Philosophical and Theological Ethics at Malta University, in his capacities as member of the European Group on Ethics (EGE), independent advisory body to the European Commission on ethics in science and new technologies. Agius said that while in the previous mandates the group worked mostly on questions linked to medicine and biology, the two "Opinions" expressed by this working group (mandate term 2011-2016) focused on the ethics of information and communication technologies (Opinion 26) and on an ethical framework for assessing research, production and use of energy (Opinion 27). The latter stems from the need to "contribute to the debate on a sustainable energy mix in Europe by studying the ethical impact of research on different energy sources on human well-being", as stated by President Barroso in December 2011. Opinion 27 proposes a number of significant and innovative recommendations for future directions in EU energy policy with leading ethical recommendations: the right of access to sufficient energy services by EU citizens; safety and impact assessment stipulating that "data must be transparent on all risk factors in the production and transport of energy"; security of energy supply; sustainability; democratic decisions; participatory instruments and responsibility for future generations. The European Union is called to set up a structure called ‘Ombuds-person’ "to protect the interests of future generations", to promote enlightened decisions by bringing into discussions the long-term effects of all political, socio-economic and technological decisions. EU-Latin America dialogue. EU trade with Ibero-America amounts to nearly 200 billion Euros per year, pointed out José Luis Bazán (COMECE Secretariat), representing a potential "which still needs to be developed in all areas including migration". Migrants from Ibero-America residing in the EU-27 represent around 9% of all international migrants residing in EU countries (60% of Ibero-Americans coming to the EU chose Spain as the country of destination for obvious reasons). European migrants to the Ibero-American countries represent 18% of the total share of immigrants residing in the region (over 100 thousand Europeans). Highly qualified European professionals are required at this time in Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Chile, Argentina and Mexico. It is now necessary to improve "legal mobility channels", not only for the labour market but also for students, researchers or volunteers and their families and for the trafficking of human beings. The 1st EU-CELAC Summit in Santiago de Chile, on January 2013, agreed to further develop the dialogue, which foresees an Action Plan 2013-15.