Begin forwarded message:

From: Andy Chyba

Hi Michael,

As you will see, your request to Peter Barnett has been passed to me. With a geology/geography academic background, I guess I have become seen to be one of the Green Party’s leading authorities on fracking. It has very much become my specialist subject over the last 4 years.

What you ask for is nigh on impossible to provide for two principle reasons.

Firstly, “indisputable” is a standard that does not exist. The scientific method invites that everything we hold to be true or fact should be capable of being disputed in the light of more evidence. More evidence is constantly emerging about fracking, and while nearly all of it adds to the case against fracking, it is certainly a matter of dispute as to how significant any of the evidence is. This is what allows people to adopt different standpoints, irrespective of the evidence.

Secondly, and connectedly, there is no single ‘killer’ report or study I can point you to as the spectrum of issues involved means that each facet has generated it own body of specialist research. You have to assimilate a wide range of evidence in a wide range of specialist fields.

However, I may be able to help with this. Indeed, it is a problem I was commissioned to address for the Frack-Free Wales organisation. I have produced my own report, attached, entitled A Review & Synopsis of the Scientific and Technical Evidence Against Hydraulic Fracturing. It summarises, fairly superficially, the main technical and scientific areas of concern – but in doing so points to all of the most thorough and compelling specialist reports on each area of concern (although please bear in mind that this was published 12 months ago now).

I hope you find it useful.

Kind regards,

Andy Chyba

the-scientific-and-technical-evidence-against-hydraulic-fracturing-1.pdf     = LINK TO REPORT

On 15 Apr 2014, at 09:57, <peter_barnett> wrote:

Hi Andy
Could you help fulfil the request below? If not, please let me know so I can go elsewhere.
Copy me if you can ‘cos I’d find it useful too!
Cheers
Peter

Peter Barnett
Internal Communications
Green Party

Hi Peter,Can you tell me THE single most indisputable report or study that puts the case against fracking in UK please?
I need something to convince scientifically minded friends and I just dont have the ‘killer’ facts, partly because there is too much sensational stuff out there. If I see another flame coming out of a tap I will go mad – its so much more serious than that isn’t it?

Good luck with the election campaigning.
Mike Elam