The mirage of shale gas

« Today, in the United States, a new well is drilled every twelve minutes, and that model is what some wish to import to Europe ». Job creation, lower gas bills, renewed competitiveness, geopolitical upheaval, energy independence… such are the arguments used by oil and gas lobby groups to influence public opinion and impose shale gas exploitation throughout Europe. Focused on the American example and oblivious of European economic and legal specificities, lobbies fling counter-truths regarding the economic benefits that their production would generate. However, what they call an energy revolution actually is a dangerous « gold rush » with a single mission, intensive drilling, to satisfy the hunger for profit of a few at the expense of the general interest. Argument after argument, Thomas Porcher challenges information largely controlled by lobby groups and proposes crucial answers in the context of the current debate on shale gas in Europe.