Do we want an industrial landscape?
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Aerial view of fracking in Texas, USA |
An American, Amy Youngs, recently posted this image online, adding the following comment: "Saw these new human-made landscapes on my flight from Sacramento to Houston. Not farming, not subdivisions, but many miles of of rectangular patches etched out of the earth, some with pools next to them, all with roads to them. I doubt that people see these when driving on major roads - I never have - but they were very visible from a plane. Welcome to your new landscape."
Texas had led the way with modern-day hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"). By 2011 the state had 100,000 gas wells, many of which involved fracking, a water-intensive process. And this at a time of drought conditions!
See lessNew South Wales be warned!
John Fenton Tour
Listen to the Leichhardt talk by clicking on the play button below
Read John's piece in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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Other insights
Jeremy Buckingham's Frack Finding Tour of the United States. A YouTube video. Watch now.
Audio Slide Show: The Fracking of Rachel Carson. Watch now.