1. SHALE GAS IN BRAZIL AND THE WORLD: ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME
HEINOUS
Fernando Alcoforado *
Despite all warnings, recommendations and evidence of environmental impacts of shale
gas exploration, ANP (National Petroleum Agency of Brazil) conducted irresponsibly,
on 11/28/2013, the 12th Bidding Round. The Public Prosecutor's Federal from State of
Piauí (MPF/PI) filed a civil action to try to prevent, by injunction, the exploitation of
shale gas. The MPF requests the annulment of the exploitation of shale gas using the
hydraulic fracturing technique, which can irreversibly affect the environment.
Originally scheduled for two days, the auction lasted less than six hours, with the
participation of 12 companies, including four foreigners. Of the 240 blocks offered, 72
were sold, of which 75% are potentially productive areas of shale gas. Most exploration
blocks was acquired by Petrobras, which will operate alone 27 areas and 22 in
consortium with other national and foreign private companies.
Even with all the risks surrounding the exploitation of shale gas, the Paraná Basin was
the one that sparked the most interest during the 12th round and had 16 blocks offered
by the ANP that were sold by 19 companies. This means that the Guarani Aquifer, the
largest freshwater reserve in the world, situated in the areas to be explored in the Paraná
Basin, may be committed to the exploration of shale gas. Despite the recommendations
of professional and technical areas related to the environment and water and sanitation,
inspection agencies and prosecutors who recommended the suspension of the auction
services organizations, ANP irresponsibly chose to auction off first and then discuss the
rules for the operation with winning companies.
It should be noted that the shale has attributes of coal and oil. By fractional distillation ,
dry, produces petrol, fuel gas, sulfur, etc.. With the use of hydraulic fracturing
(fracking), U.S. companies recently sparked an energy revolution in the segment of
shale gas in the United States. The U.S. production of that gas went from virtually zero
in 2000 to a level that contributes ¼ of natural gas in the United States and expected to
reach half of the total natural gas in the country by 2030 , according to data from the
Institute of Public Policy James A. Baker of Rice University in Houston, Texas [See
Xisto
betuminoso
(Shale)
on
the
website
<http://cepa.if.usp.br/energia/energia1999/Grupo1A/xisto.html>].
The exploitation of shale gas, treated by ANP as "unconventional gas", uses the
aforementioned technique of hydraulic fracturing by injecting water and chemicals
under high pressure proven product that will contaminates the groundwater. In the
United States, this uses this technology more than 20 years, several environmental
accidents that were caused by the exploitation of shale gas. The groundwater
contamination has prevented the consumption of drinking water in at least 30 US cities.
The ANP disrespected manifestation of the Interministerial Working Group Activities
of Exploration and Production of Oil and Gas (GTPEG), who claimed to have been
surprised by the release of the bidding for areas that are still being analyzed
environmentally
(See
the
website
<<http://www.fup.org.br/2012/noticias/manchetes/2222250-anp-ignora-alertas-deorgaos-fiscalizadores-e-mantem-leilao-de-gas-de-xisto>.
Among other questions issued by the Interministerial Working Group Activities of
Exploration and Production of Oil and Gas (GTPEG) in your opinion is the absence of
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2. preliminary environmental studies and even knowledge of important geological features
of sedimentary basins for areas offered by the ANP. The process of fractional
distillation to obtain shale gas is highly polluting. The hydraulic fracturing (fracking)
itself raises environmental concerns such as, for example, contamination of aquifers
sheets, if the tunnels are not aligned properly and the chemicals used to keep open the
pores of the rock leak. The use of natural gas from shale has faced opponents in various
parts of the world claiming that fracking method can poison underground water supplies
and even cause earthquakes. So far, fracking has been banned in France and Bulgaria,
suspended or voluntarily paralyzed in the UK, South Africa, Quebec, parts of Germany
and Australia, and convicted of northern Spain to New York.
From the energy revolution in the United States based on shale gas is going to attempt
to promote their exploitation in various parts of the world as efforts by several countries
to free themselves from dependence on imported oil, especially the countries of the
Middle East region critique of the geopolitical point of view on the possibility of the
outbreak of regional conflicts that can trigger even a new world conflict threatening the
supply of this important energy source. The International Energy Agency (IEA) said in
its latest report, published November 12, which the development of shale gas will
continue to give the United States an important competitive advantage at least until
2035.
A study by the International Energy Agency, published in April 2011 found practically
the volume (6,620 trillion cubic feet or 187.4 trillion cubic meters) of shale (shale gas)
recoverable gas in just 32 countries, and the giants are: China (1,275 trillion cubic feet),
United States (862 trillion cubic feet), Argentina (774 trillion cubic feet), Mexico (681
trillion cubic feet), South Africa (485 trillion cubic feet) and Australia (396 trillion
cubic feet). Brazil and Chile, which currently import about half the gas they consume,
have deposits of 226 trillion cubic feet and 64 trillion cubic feet of shale gas,
respectively.
As more and more countries allow exploration and exploitation of shale gas thousands
of people protesting in various parts of the world such as France (Paris, Toulouse, Lille
and Nice), United States, Canada, England, Germany or Romania, on the occasion of
the World Day against shale gas. In Ukraine there is a nascent mobilization, in Canada
there is a powerful opposition, the UK is a huge public discontent and in France it was
forbidden the use of hydraulic fractionation, and has been address by Minister of
Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, Philippe Martinem, on November 28,
2013, in an interview in Le Parisien - Aujourd'hui, with its refusal to accept a transfer
request seven licenses for shale gas exploration in the Paris basin made by Hess Oil
Opponents of shale gas are deployed around the world (See the article Les opposants au
gaz de schiste de plus en plus mobilisés dans le monde, published in Le Monde on
19/10/2013 and on the website <http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2013/10/18/lacontestation-contre-le-gaz-de-schiste-essaime-dans-le-monde_3498235_3244.html>).
Given the environmental risks of shale gas exploration and the global trend of rejection
of its production in several countries, is evident irresponsibility and lack of commitment
of the Brazilian government with environmental issues. The lack of commitment from
the Brazilian government to protect the environment on the issue of shale gas is added
to other actions such as the decision to explore oil in pre -salt layer, the energy policy of
the country which has an energy matrix with about 50 % of non-renewable sources of
energy when it could reach around 90 % of renewable energy, his leniency in combating
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3. deforestation and neglect of Brazil in search of solution to the problems of global
warming.
*
Alcoforado, Fernando, engineer and doctor of Territorial Planning and Regional Development from the
University of Barcelona, a university professor and consultant in strategic planning, business planning,
regional planning and planning of energy systems, is the author of Globalização (Editora Nobel, São
Paulo, 1997), De Collor a FHC- O Brasil e a Nova (Des)ordem Mundial (Editora Nobel, São Paulo,
1998), Um Projeto para o Brasil (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 2000), Os condicionantes do
desenvolvimento do Estado da Bahia (Tese de doutorado. Universidade de Barcelona,
http://www.tesisenred.net/handle/10803/1944, 2003), Globalização e Desenvolvimento (Editora Nobel,
São Paulo, 2006), Bahia- Desenvolvimento do Século XVI ao Século XX e Objetivos Estratégicos na Era
Contemporânea (EGBA, Salvador, 2008), The Necessary Conditions of the Economic and Social
Development-The Case of the State of Bahia (VDM Verlag Dr. Muller Aktiengesellschaft & Co. KG,
Saarbrücken, Germany, 2010), Aquecimento Global e Catástrofe Planetária (P&A Gráfica e Editora,
Salvador, 2010), Amazônia Sustentável- Para o progresso do Brasil e combate ao aquecimento global
(Viena- Editora e Gráfica, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Paulo, 2011) and Os Fatores Condicionantes do
Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2012), among others.
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