Fracking has the potential to extract hydrocarbons from previously inaccessible sources of gas and oil, but is regularly in the news because of environmental concerns surrounding the process. First used commercially in the mid-20th Century, only recently has fracking been deployed on a large scale, revolutionising the energy industry in the USA. As more nations seek to adopt or ban fracking, do the economic benefits outweigh the environmental costs? Presenting both sides of the debate, this latest volume of Issues in Environmental Science and Technology draws on a wealth of international expertise, ranging from the oil and gas industry to Friends of the Earth. The technology of fracking is examined in detail, as well as the associated economic, societal and global climate change considerations. Anyone wishing to gain a balanced view of hydraulic fracturing will benefit from reading this book, which is aimed at researchers in academia and industry, policy makers, environmental science students and the interested layman.

The series has been edited by Professors Hester and Harrison since it began in 1994.

Professor Roy Harrison OBE is listed by ISI Thomson Scientific (on ISI Web of Knowledge) as a Highly Cited Researcher in the Environmental Science/Ecology category. He has an h-index of 54 (i.e. 54 of his papers have received 54 or more citations in the literature). In 2004 he was appointed OBE for services to environmental science in the New Year Honours List. He was profiled by the Journal of Environmental Monitoring (Vol 5, pp 39N-41N, 2003). Professor Harrisons research interests lie in the field of environment and human health. His main specialism is in air pollution, from emissions through atmospheric chemical and physical transformations to exposure and effects on human health. Much of this work is designed to inform the development of policy.

Now an emeritus professor, Professor Ron Hester's current activities in chemistry are mainly as an editor and as an external examiner and assessor. He also retains appointments as external examiner and assessor/adviser on courses, individual promotions, and departmental / subject area evaluations both in the UK and abroad.

Introduction and Overview: the Role of Shale Gas in Securing Our Energy Future; Shale Gas Boom, Trade, and Environmental Policies: Global Economic and Environmental Analyses in a Multidisciplinary Modeling Framework; Exploration for Unconventional Hydrocarbons: Shale Gas and Shale Oil; Climate Change Impacts of Shale Gas Production; The Hydrogeological Aspects of Shale Gas Extraction in the UK; Coal Seam Gas Recovery in Australia: Economic, Environmental and Policy Issues; Prospects for Shale Gas Development in China; Unconventional, Unburnable and Unwanted: why going all out for shale gas is the wrong direction for the UKs energy policy.