>> TODAY ON "EARTH FOCUS"... FRACKING BRITAIN.

CITIZEN ACTIVISTS GEAR UP TO FIGHT NATURAL GAS DEVELOPMENT, COMING UP ON "EARTH FOCUS."

>> WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING DOWN PEEL ROAD, YOU CAN SMELL GAS.

IT'S HORRIBLE.

>> THE EARTHQUAKES THAT IT CAUSED.

>> IT'S ALL ABOUT MONEY.

>> THEY'VE TAKEN OIL FROM THE NORTH SEA, AND THE NORTH SEA'S NOT DISAPPEARED, SO WE'LL HAVE TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

>> HYDRAULIC FRACTURING, OR FRACKING AS IT IS KNOWN, INVOLVES PUMPING A MIXTURE OF WATER, SAND, AND CHEMICALS INTO THE GROUND IN ORDER TO EXTRACT NATURAL GAS.

THE TECHNIQUE IS WIDESPREAD IN THE U.S., AND NOW ENERGY COMPANIES ARE LOOKING ELSEWHERE FOR SHALE GAS SOURCES.

BUT FRACKING IS CONTROVERSIAL AND LINKED TO A NUMBER OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS.

[WATER SPLASHING] >> THIS IS THE WATER TO MY WELL, AND SUPPOSEDLY I'M SUPPOSED TO BE DRINKING THIS.

>> AND THERE IS JUST LIKE THIS RED NASTY WATER JUST COMING, JUST OOZING OUT THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, JUST THE SIDE OF THE HILL.

>> IN THE U.K., FRACKING IS SERIOUSLY GOING TO CHANGE THE LANDSCAPE.

IT'S GOING TO INDUSTRIALIZE THE U.K.

IN A MANNER IN WHICH MOST PEOPLE JUST DO NOT REALIZE.

>> IN THE U.K., THE GOVERNMENT RECENTLY LIFTED A MORATORIUM ON THE PROCESS, PAVING THE WAY, SAY CAMPAIGNERS, FOR AN UNPRECEDENTED DASH FOR GAS.

>> THE GOVERNMENT'S PLANS ON FRACKING ARE INDEED HUGELY CONTROVERSIAL AND FOR VERY GOOD REASON, TOO.

THE COMMITTEE ON CLIMATE CHANGE, FOR EXAMPLE, HAS SAID THAT NOT ONLY WILL A DASH FOR GAS COMPLETELY BUST OUR CLIMATE TARGETS IN TERMS OF GETTING OUR EMISSIONS DOWN, BUT IT'S ALSO LIKELY TO LEAD TO HIGHER FUEL BILLS AS WELL.

>> FRACKING!

NO!

NO!

NO!

>> OPPONENTS SAY FRACKING IS JUST ONE PART OF A MUCH WIDER TREND OF EXTREME ENERGY EXTRACTION.

>> A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF LICENSES HAVE ALREADY BEEN SOLD ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND WE EXPECT MORE TO BE SOLD SOON IN THE 14th ROUND.

AS MUCH AS 3/5 OF THE COUNTRY IS UP FOR GRABS, AND PEOPLE ARE RIGHT TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS, BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT ARE TRYING TO CHANGE THE SYSTEM SO THAT LOCAL PLANNING IS BYPASSED SO THAT LARGE INVESTORS CAN GO DIRECTLY TO THE GOVERNMENT TO GET APPROVAL FOR THIS KIND OF STUFF.

IN THE U.K., WE'RE SEEING THE START OF SHALE EXPLORATION, AND WE'RE ACTUALLY SEEING COAL BED METHANE PRODUCTION LICENSES APPLIED FOR FOR COAL BED METHANE.

AND WE'RE SEEING AREAS OF THE COASTLINE, AROUND OUR COASTLINE, SOLD OFF FOR POTENTIAL UNDERGROUND COAL GASIFICATIONS.

SO, 3 UNCONVENTIONAL GAS TECHNOLOGIES WHICH COULD COME TO THE COUNTRY BUT SOME HAVE ALREADY ARRIVED.

>> YOU CAN'T LOOK AT SHALE GAS OR FRACKING AS A SINGLE THING.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS EXTREME ENERGY.

AND EXTREME ENERGY ISN'T JUST ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGIES.

EXTREME ENERGY REQUIRES EXTREME FINANCE.

IT REQUIRES EXTREME ECONOMICS.

IT'S EXTREME GOVERNANCE.

BECAUSE TO FORCE THESE MEASURES THROUGH, THEY ARE ENGINEERING A SYSTEM TO ALLOW THE LARGE-SCALE DESPOILATION OF THE COUNTRYSIDE.

>> BUT ADVOCATES SAY THE ISSUE HAS BECOME SENSATIONALIZED.

>> AND THE IMAGE OF LIGHTING YOUR WATER FAUCET ON FIRE HAS BECOME THE VIEWPOINT OR THE IMAGE OF FRACKING AROUND THE WORLD.

NOW, THE REALITY IS, THE MEDIA LOVES SENSATIONALISM, AND THAT HAS NOW TRANSCENDED THE ENTIRE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE THAT SAYS THAT FRACKING IS SAFE.

>> NO!

NO!

NO!

>> FEARING THE WORST, COMMUNITIES UP AND DOWN THE COUNTRY HAVE BEGUN TO MOBILIZE.

[PEOPLE SHOUTING] >> THIS IS A LETTER TO DAVID CAMERON...

SIGNED BY SIGNATURES FROM SUSSEX, FALKIRK, BELFAST, LANCASHIRE, FYLDE, AND RIBBLE ESTUARY AND THE VALE OF GLAMORGAN, CALLING FOR AN IMMEDIATE BAN ON SHALE GAS AND COAL BED METHANE EXPLOITATION IN THE U.K. WE ARE DELIVERING IT IN SOLIDARITY FROM ALL REGIONS TO NO.

10 IN ABOUT HALF AN HOUR.

>> I THINK COMMUNITIES ARE QUITE RIGHT TO BE VERY WORRIED ABOUT THE IMPACT OF MUCH DRILLING AND FRACKING AROUND THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITIES.

WE KNOW FROM WHAT'S HAPPENED IN OTHER PLACES THAT THERE ARE REAL RISKS OF WATER POLLUTION, FOR EXAMPLE.

AND LET'S NOT FORGET WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE IS POTENTIALLY A HUGE NUMBER OF WELLS.

I MEAN, UNDER SOME ESTIMATES, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT UP TO 2,400 WELLS BEING DRILLED ACROSS THE U.K., SOMETIMES IN INCREDIBLY SENSITIVE AREAS.

[TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS] >> WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IN ORDER TO RESIST THESE PROCESSES--BECAUSE WE DO NEED TO RESIST THEM; FRACKING NEEDS TO BE RESISTED--FROM AN ECOLOGICAL CRISIS POINT OF VIEW, WE DON'T NEED IT.

IT SHOULDN'T BE TAKING PLACE.

>> I THINK THEIR CONCERNS ARE BASED ON MISINFORMATION.

THEY'RE BASED ON WHAT THEY'VE READ OR SEEN SECONDHAND.

BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK AT PEOPLE IN EUROPE, THEY HAVE CONCERNS.

THEY'RE NOT BASED ON PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE, BECAUSE THERE IS NO FRACKING IN EUROPE.

SO IF YOU HAVE A RESIDENT IN BLACKPOOL, AND THEIR CONCERN IS BECAUSE THEY THINK THAT IT'S CAUSING AN EARTHQUAKE, THEY HAVE A FEAR OR CONCERN OF THAT.

IT'S NOT BASED ON FACT OR FICTION.

IT'S BASED ON THEIR PERCEPTION.

BUT IF I GO TELL YOU YOU'RE WRONG, YOU'RE GONNA TELL ME THAT I'M WRONG.

>> IN FALKIRK, SCOTLAND, THESE LOCAL RESIDENTS ARE USING BOTH TRADITIONAL AND NEW CAMPAIGNING METHODS TO FIGHT A COAL BED METHANE, CBM, DEVELOPMENT.

>> OUR MAIN CONCERNS ARE WITH WATER POLLUTION, AIR POLLUTION, AND ALSO, QUITE SERIOUSLY, FUGITIVE METHANE EMISSIONS FROM THE PLANT, WHICH COULD SERIOUSLY JEOPARDIZE OUR CLIMATE CHANGE TARGETS.

>> THIS ORGANIC FARMER IS CONCERNED, DESPITE LIVING A CONSIDERABLE DISTANCE FROM THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT.

>> SO IT'S ALL PART OF ONE BIG LANDSCAPE SYSTEM, WITH THE TROSSACHS MOUNTAINS TO THE NORTH AND THE LOCH LOMOND AND TROSSACHS NATIONAL PARK TO THE WEST.

SO IT'S DIFFICULT JUST TO SEPARATE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN FALKIRK TO ITS WIDER LANDSCAPE CONTEXT.

>> IN LANCASHIRE, THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF FRACKING ON THE REGION'S FARMLAND HAS ALSO WORRIED COMMUNITIES LIVING NEAR TO GAS DRILLING OPERATIONS.

>> MY BIGGEST FEAR IS THIS AREA IS A GREEN AREA, AND THERE'S A LOT OF SALAD CROPS GROWN HERE.

AND IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT AREA FOR SALAD CROPS IN THIS COUNTRY.

WE DISTRIBUTE OUR CROPS TO ALL OVER THE U.K.

THIS KIND OF INDUSTRY HERE IN LANCASHIRE, WITH THE AMOUNT OF WELLS THAT THEY NEED TO MAKE IT ECONOMICALLY VIABLE, WILL COMPLETELY DESTROY THAT.

>> THIS ISN'T GOING TO BRING JOBS OR SECURITY, FIELD SECURITY FOR THE FOULED AREA.

THERE ARE HUGE UNKNOWNS ABOUT HEALTH RISKS, RISKS TO THE WATER, THE AQUIFERS.

THIS ISN'T A STABLE AREA.

IT'S LIABLE TO SUBSIDENCE IN THE BEST OF TIMES.

AND THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF RISKS ASSOCIATED.

AND IT'S JUST A RETROGRADE STEP, AND WE NEED TO BE INVESTING IN RENEWABLES FOR THE LONG-TERM FUTURE.

THIS IS VERY, VERY SHORT-TERM AND POTENTIALLY DISASTROUS.

>> REPORTS IN THE U.S. HAVE RECENTLY SUGGESTED FRACKING MAY BE LINKED TO ILLNESS IN SOME FARM ANIMALS.

OPPOSITION TO FRACKING IN LANCASHIRE GREW DRAMATICALLY FOLLOWING AN EARTHQUAKE LINKED TO EXPLORATORY GAS DRILLING.

>> HOW HAS IT AFFECTED MY LIFE?

WELL, IT'S TAKEN A YEAR OF MY LIFE OUT BECAUSE I COULD NOT WALK AWAY FROM THIS.

THIS IS TOO BIG A THING.

I HAD A NORMAL LIFE FOR THE FIRST 50 YEARS OF MY LIFE.

THEN FRACKING CAME INTO MY LIFE.

IT'S GONNA DEVASTATE THE WHOLE COUNTRY.

I CANNOT WALK AWAY FROM THIS.

PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT.

ONCE YOU KNOW THE FACTS, THEY WILL SAY "STOP FRACKING".

EVERYBODY WE'VE SPOKEN TO SAY, "WHY IS THIS GOING ON?"

>> THIS LED DIRECTLY TO THE TEMPORARY NATIONWIDE MORATORIUM.

ALTHOUGH THIS HAS NOW BEEN LIFTED, SOME COMMUNITIES REMAIN IN LIMBO.

>> YEAH, THAT'S IT-- THE GO-AHEAD.

WE WEREN'T SURPRISED.

>> IN SUSSEX, IT IS UNCLEAR WHETHER FRACKING NEAR BALCOMBE WILL GO AHEAD.

>> FRACKING IS A PROCESS I WOULDN'T WISH ON ANYONE ANYWHERE.

I THINK IT'S A POISONOUS, POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS PROCESS.

HERE IN SUSSEX, IN BALCOMBE, WE LIVE IN A BEAUTIFUL PART OF THE WORLD.

IT IS CLASSIFIED AS AN AREA OF OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY.

PEOPLE HAVE LIVESTOCK, THERE ARE FARMS.

WE HAVE BEAUTIFUL STREAMS RUNNING THROUGH.

IT'S A LOVELY PLACE TO LIVE.

FRACKING AND THE INDUSTRIALIZATION OF THE LANDSCAPE COULD RUIN THAT.

[MAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY] >> LOCALS WORRY ABOUT THE POTENTIAL IMPACT ON THE AREA'S WATER SUPPLY.

>> FORCING HIGH VOLUMES OF WATER AND CARCINOGENIC CHEMICALS INTO THE GROUND AT A KIND OF PRESSURE THAT WOULD FRACTURE MILLION-YEAR-OLD ROCK, RELYING ON YOUR OWN CEMENT CASINGS, THAT IS GONNA LEAK.

IT'S GOING TO GO THROUGH.

IT'S GOING TO GET INTO THE GROUNDWATER.

IT'S GOING TO GET INTO THE AQUIFER.

IT'S GOING TO GET INTO THE RESERVOIRS.

THE GAS IS GOING TO LEAK INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.

WATER MEETS WATER.

WATER GOES FROM EVERYWHERE TO EVERYWHERE.

YOU CAN'T SEPARATE IT.

YOU CAN'T LEGISLATE FOR THE VAGARIES OF SUBTERRANEAN GEOLOGY.

IT JUST...

IT'S REALLY, REALLY SILLY.

>> EXPERTS ARE NOW ASKING WHETHER THE FULL COST IMPLICATIONS HAVE YET BEEN FULLY CONSIDERED.

>> IF THERE WERE SERIOUS GROUNDWATER POLLUTION, THEN IT WOULD COST A LOT OF MONEY TO CLEAN THAT WATER, BUT IT COULD BE THAT IT WOULD BE SUCH AN EXPENSE THAT IT WOULDN'T ACTUALLY BE WORTH DOING AND THEREFORE YOU'RE GONNA BE LEFT WITH A LONG-TERM POLLUTION PROBLEM IN THAT PARTICULAR VICINITY, IN THAT PARTICULAR COMMUNITY.

>> FRACKING CHIEFS SAY MUCH OF THE OPPOSITION IS BASED ON MISINFORMATION.

>> IT'S NOT FRACKING THAT'S UNSAFE, NOT THE PROCEDURE IS UNSAFE, BUT IF SOMEONE MAKES A MISTAKE, THEN ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN.

AND I THINK THAT IT WOULD BE MORE FOOLISH TO THINK THAT THERE'S SOME FORM OF ENERGY, THAT INCLUDES WIND OR SOLAR OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF ENERGY--NUCLEAR; WE SAW WHAT HAPPENED IN JAPAN--THAT COMES WITHOUT ANY KIND OF RISK, THAT POPS OUT OF THE GROUND, POWERS THE PLUG IN YOUR WALL, AND PRODUCES ENERGY THAT HAS NO CONSEQUENCE OR RISK, AND THAT'S JUST NOT POSSIBLE.

>> THEY'RE TRYING TO CONVINCE US THAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO IT SAFELY?

SAFE FRACKING IS THE OXYMORON OF THE DECADE.

>> TODAY ON "EARTH FOCUS," FRACKING POLAND.

INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES ARE MOVING IN TO TAP POLAND'S SHALE DEPOSITS.

LOCAL COMMUNITIES SAY IT WILL DESTROY THEIR WAY OF LIFE... COMING UP ON "EARTH FOCUS."

>> NORTHERN POLAND.

THIS IS A PICTURESQUE LAND OF FARMS, ROLLING HILLS, AND PRISTINE FORESTS.

THE PEOPLE ARE FIERCELY INDEPENDENT AND PROUD OF THEIR UNIQUE HOME, BUT SOME ARE WORRIED.

POLAND HAS FOUND ITSELF CAUGHT UP IN THE GLOBAL HUNT FOR NATURAL RESOURCES.

THE REGION AROUND THE CITY OF GDANSK IS RICH IN UNDERGROUND GAS, AND ENERGY COMPANIES WANT TO DRILL FOR IT.

BUT TO DO SO, THEY HAVE TO UTILIZE A CONTROVERSIAL METHOD KNOWN AS HYDRAULIC FRACTURING, OR FRACKING.

IN THE U.S., FRACKING HAS BEEN LINKED TO A HOST OF SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS.

>> MAKES ME MAD, MAKES ME VERY MAD, 'CAUSE MY LIFE IS OVER WITHOUT MY WATER.

>> THESE RURAL POLISH COMMUNITIES HAVE HEARD THE HORROR STORIES AND DON'T WANT IT IN THEIR BACKYARD.

BUT THE FRACKING INDUSTRY DISPUTES SUCH CONCERNS.

>> WE'VE ALLOWED FOLKS TO GO SPEAK FOR US, OTHERS LIKE JOSH FOX AND "GASLAND", ENVIRONMENTALISTS--FOLKS WHO HAVE AN AGENDA.

AND THAT AGENDA, SOMETIMES IS BASED ON MISINFORMATION.

>> FRACKING IS SPREADING GLOBALLY FROM THE U.S.

INTO EUROPE, THE FORMER U.S.S.R., AND WELL BEYOND.

SOME COUNTRIES, FRANCE INCLUDED, HAVE IMPOSED A MORATORIUM.

OTHERS, INCLUDING POLAND, HAVE EMBRACED IT WITH OVER 100 CONCESSIONS RECENTLY AWARDED.

THE ECOLOGISTS TRAVELED TO POLAND TWICE TO INVESTIGATE THIS NEW FRONTIER.

EDWARD SAWICKI IS AN ORGANIC FARMER IN THIS TINY CASHUBIAN VILLAGE.

HIS FARM SITS ON A GAS HOTSPOT.

[SAWICKI SPEAKING POLISH] >> HE'S WORRIED ABOUT THE IMPACT ON WATER SOURCES IN THE REGION, PARTICULARLY IF CHEMICALS USED IN FRACKING PROCESSES LEAK.

HE BELIEVES OTHER FORMS OF POLLUTION MAY FOLLOW.

[SAWICKI SPEAKING POLISH] >> SOME HERE DO ACCEPT THAT POLAND'S GAS RESERVES ARE ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT, BUT ARE OPPOSED TO THE FRACKING PROCESS ITSELF.

[WOMAN SPEAKING POLISH] [MAN SPEAKING POLISH] >> IN THIS VILLAGE IN THE GRIP OF THE POLISH WINTER, FARMERS ARE ALSO CONCERNED.

[MAN SPEAKING POLISH] >> THEY MAINTAIN THEY WERE GIVEN VERY LITTLE INFORMATION BY EITHER THE GAS COMPANY OR THE AUTHORITIES BEFORE GAS DRILLING BEGAN.

[RUTKOWSKI SPEAKING POLISH] >> RESIDENTS HERE SAY THE GAS INDUSTRY HAS PRESENTED A MISLEADING IMAGE OF FRACKING.

[MAN SPEAKING POLISH] >> THE FILMMAKER BEHIND "GASLAND", JOSH FOX, RECENTLY PLEDGED SOLIDARITY WITH POLISH ACTIVISTS.

>> THERE'S NO EVIDENCE RIGHT NOW THAT SHALE GAS CAN BE DEVELOPED SUSTAINABLY.

THERE'S NO EVIDENCE THAT WE CAN WITHSTAND WHAT THIS WOULD MEAN FOR OUR CLIMATE.

>> BUT FRACKING IS THE ONLY WAY TO EXTRACT SHALE GAS, ACCORDING TO CHRIS FAULKNER.

>> THERE IS CURRENTLY ABSOLUTELY NO WAY TO EXTRACT SHALE GAS WITHOUT USING HYDRAULIC FRACTURE STIMULATION OR FRACKING.

SO THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR IT CURRENTLY.

WITHOUT IT, THERE IS NO DISCUSSION OF HOW SHALE'S GONNA IMPACT ANYTHING, 'CAUSE THERE'LL BE NO SHALE GAS COMING OUT OF THE GROUND.

>> HE REJECTS THE CLAIM THAT COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN LEFT IN THE DARK OR MISINFORMED.

>> I'VE BEEN TO POLAND.

I'VE ATTENDED MEETINGS IN VILLAGES WHERE ONE OF THE GAS COMPANIES, INCLUDING CHEVRON, HAVE SET WITH PEOPLE AND EXPLAINED TO THEM WHAT IS HAPPENING, WHAT THE PROCESS IS, AND HOW IT'S GOING TO IMPACT THE COMMUNITY.

SO I DON'T BELIEVE THAT EVERY SINGLE PERSON HAS BEEN LEFT IN THE DARK.

NOW, MAYBE SOME FOLKS FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE, BUT THE INFORMATION IS BEING DISSEMINATED.

>> HE ALSO REJECTS THAT FRACKING WILL LEAD TO CONTAMINATION OF WATER.

>> I DON'T BELIEVE THAT WE'RE CONTAMINATING DRINKING WATER.

I DON'T BELIEVE WHAT WE'RE DOING IS HARMFUL TO THE ENVIRONMENT, OR I WOULD NOT BE DOING IT.

>> BUT CRITICS HIGHLIGHT CONCERNS OVER DRINKING SUPPLIES.

[MAN SPEAKING POLISH] >> THEY SAY THE FRACKING INDUSTRY HAS EMBARKED ON A GLOSSY PR EXERCISE TO WIN OVER HEARTS AND MINDS.

LOCAL PEOPLE SAY THE FRACKING INDUSTRY HAS EVEN USED THE CHURCH'S INFLUENCE TO PERSUADE PEOPLE THAT FRACKING IS SAFE AND THAT IT WILL BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY.

[MAN SPEAKING POLISH] >> WE TRACKED DOWN THE PRIEST ALLEGED TO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED.

[PRIEST SPEAKING POLISH] [MAN SPEAKING POLISH] [PRIEST SPEAKING POLISH] [MAN SPEAKING ENGLISH] >> THEY GAVE 5,000 ZLOTYCH-- [PRIEST SPEAKING POLISH] [MAN SPEAKING POLISH] >> POTENTIAL IS BRIGHT.

I THINK IT'S GONNA TAKE SOME TIME.

IT WON'T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT, BUT I THINK POLAND IS OFF TO A GREAT START, THOUGH THEIR EARLY SUCCESS MAY BE QUESTIONABLE.

BUT YOU WOULD EXPECT TO SEE THAT IN A FRONTIER PLAIN WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE, NO KNOWLEDGE, AND YOU'RE TRYING TO CHART A PATHWAY FORWARD.

[MAN SPEAKING POLISH] >> WHATEVER THE COMING MONTHS AND YEARS HOLD, THOSE ADVOCATING FRACKING HAVE THEIR WORK CUT OUT.

>> TODAY, ON "EARTH FOCUS," FRACKING THE KAROO.

WITH COMPANIES POISED TO TAP SOUTH AFRICA'S SHALE DEPOSITS, LOCAL OPPOSITION GROWS.

JEFF BARBEE REPORTS... COMING UP ON "EARTH FOCUS."

>> THE KAROO DESERT STRETCHES OUT ACROSS 1/3 OF SOUTH AFRICA'S LAND AREA.

DOLERITE MOUNTAINS LIKE THESE SEPARATE THE LAND INTO DIFFERENT HABITATS HARBORING THE RICHEST DIVERSITY OF ANY DESERT IN THE WORLD.

HERE, WORLD-CLASS ASTRONOMY PROJECTS AND A FARMING INDUSTRY THAT EXPORTS FOOD AROUND THE WORLD, PRODUCING 3.4 MILLION SHEEP A YEAR.

7 MILLION PEOPLE RELY ON THIS DESERT FOR THEIR DAILY EXISTENCE.

MOST OF THE KAROO IS EXTREMELY DRY, WITH ABOUT 7 TO 10 INCHES OF RAIN PER YEAR.

DESPITE A SHORT-LIVED SUMMER RAINSTORM LIKE THIS ONE, ALL THE WATER IN THE KAROO COMES FROM WELLS DRILLED INTO THE GROUND AND PUMPED UP TO THE SURFACE USING AGE-OLD WINDMILLS HARKING BACK TO AN OLDER, SLOWER TIME.

FARMERS, SCIENTISTS, AND COMMUNITIES ARE WORRIED THAT WITHOUT ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER LIKE THIS FROM WELLS, THIS VAST AREA WILL BE ECONOMICALLY DEVASTATED.

THE KAROO IS THE NAME OF THIS DESERT, BUT IT IS ALSO THE NAME OF A SHALE DEPOSIT CALLED THE KAROO BASIN.

THIS BASIN STRETCHES ALMOST ACROSS THE WHOLE COUNTRY OF SOUTH AFRICA.

LOOKED ON AS A CURSE FOR SOME AND A BLESSING FOR OTHERS, LOCKED INTO THE KAROO BASIN MAY BE AS MUCH AS 400 TRILLION CUBIC FEET OF SHALE GAS--THE 5th-LARGEST DEPOSIT OF ITS KIND IN THE WHOLE WORLD.

SINCE THE MORATORIUM ON NATURAL GAS EXPLORATION WAS LIFTED IN 2012, COMPANIES LIKE ROYAL DUTCH SHELL AND OTHERS ARE LINING UP AT SOUTH AFRICA'S DOOR, WAITING FOR THE GREEN LIGHT TO EXPLORE FOR WHAT THE GOVERNMENT HOPES WILL BE A CLEAN AND ABUNDANT SOURCE OF ENERGY THAT BRINGS JOBS AND DEVELOPMENT.

>> THE BIGGEST ISSUE THAT WE HAVE--OR ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE WITH THE LONG-TERM COST OF FRACKING IS THAT THE GOVERNMENT AND THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY ARE VERY KEEN TO PROMOTE IT ON THE BASIS THAT IT BRINGS PROSPERITY.

AND I QUESTION "WHAT IS THIS THING, PROSPERITY, THAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT?"

BECAUSE IF THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT SHORT-TERM GAINS FOR A FEW GLOBAL COMPANIES AND A GOVERNMENT THAT HAPPENS TO BE RULING AT THE MOMENT AND THAT IS WHAT THEY CALL PROSPERITY, AND THAT PROSPERITY IS AT THE COST OF THE PROSPERITY OF FUTURE GENERATIONS, THEN IT'S NOT WORTH IT.

>> DEAL AND HIS GROUP ARE PART OF A GROWING RESISTANCE TO NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION HERE THAT IS PREPARED TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO PREVENT EXPLORATION AND EXTRACTION OF THE KAROO GAS DEPOSIT.

>> THE PROBLEM OF EXPLORING IS SIMPLY THAT THERE'S NEVER BEEN A PRECEDENT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MINERALS EVER STOPPING THE CONVERSION OF AN EXPLORATION LICENSE INTO FULL-SCALE PRODUCTION.

>> NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION IN SHALE FORMATIONS CONSISTS OF ESSENTIALLY 3 STAGES.

DRILLING IS DONE WITH HUGE RIGS.

THE RIG DRILLS MANY WELLS FROM ONE PAD USING DIRECTIONAL DRILLING TECHNIQUES TO FAN OUT THE WELLS LIKE AN OCTOPUS FROM A DRILL PAD AS MUCH AS 10 KILOMETERS AWAY IN ANY DIRECTION.

ONCE THE DRILLING IS COMPLETE, THE RIG IS TAKEN AWAY AND SERVICE TRUCKS BRING MILLIONS OF LITERS OF WATER AND CHEMICALS TO THE SITE, WHERE THEY ARE MIXED AND INJECTED UNDER GREAT PRESSURE IN A PROCESS CALLED HYDRAULIC FRACTURING, OR FRACKING.

AT ROUGHLY 4,000 FEET DEEP, THE PIPES HAVE HOLES WHERE THE EXTREME PRESSURE DRIVES THE FLUID INTO THE SHALE AND CRACKS IT, RELEASING THE METHANE GAS AND OTHER CHEMICALS.

ONCE THE WELLS FROM THE PAD HAVE BEEN FRACKED, SOME 20% TO 80% OF THE MILLIONS OF LITERS OF POLLUTED WATER MIXED WITH FRACKING FLUIDS RETURN UP THE WELL SHAFT TO THE SURFACE, WHERE THE TOXIC LIQUID MUST BE DISPOSED OF, OFTEN IN SETTLING PONDS NEXT TO THE DRILL PAD, LIKE THIS, WHERE THE LIQUIDS AND VOLATILE COMPOUNDS CAN EVAPORATE INTO THE AIR.

FOR THE 8- TO 30-YEAR LIFE OF THE WELL, TRUCKS MUST TAKE AWAY THE POLLUTED WASTE MIXTURE THAT EMERGES WITH THE GAS.

THIS WASTE CAN BE 50% OF EVERYTHING COMING UP THE WELL, MOSTLY VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS.

THE POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH THIS PROCESS ARE NOT JUST RELEGATED TO THE FRACKING OF THE WELL, AS MANY BELIEVE, BUT EVERY ASPECT OF PRODUCTION.

THE MOST CLEAR DANGER IS WHEN FRACKING FLUIDS AND TRAPPED GAS LEAK OUT THE SIDES OF THE WELL SHAFT INTO THE WATER TABLE THROUGH CRACKED WELL CASINGS.

ALSO, THE CHEMICALS ARE MIXED ON THE SURFACE AND STORED IN LARGE PONDS THAT MUST BE VERY CAREFULLY INSULATED FROM LEAKAGE, WHICH IS SOMETIMES NOT DONE.

ONCE THE WELL IS DRILLED, FRACKED, AND IN PRODUCTION, IT CAN STILL BE INVISIBLY POLLUTING.

AS MUCH AS 9% OF THE METHANE AND COMPOUNDS LIKE BENZENE, TOLUENE, ETHYLBENZENE, AND XYLENES MAY LEAK OUT OF THE WELL.

MOST SHALE BASINS ARE EVEN, FLAT, AND MAINTAIN A FAIRLY REGULAR DEEP-LAYER CONTINUITY WITH FEW HARD-ROCK INTRUSIONS THAT ALLOW WATER TO MOVE UPWARD.

THE KAROO IS DIFFERENT.

DR. GERRET VAN TONDER FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE SUPPORTED NATURAL GAS EXTRACTION UNTIL HE EMBARKED ON A STUDY OF THE GEOLOGY OF THIS DESERT.

HE FEARS THAT VERTICAL PATHWAYS MADE BY LAVA FLOWS CALLED DOLERITE DYKES, SHOWN HERE IN BLACK, WILL ALLOW FRACKING FLUIDS AND OTHER WASTE TO RISE AND POLLUTE THE WATER TABLE.

>> DOLERITE, IT WAS A WARM LAVA THAT INFILTRATES THE COLD SEDIMENTARY ROCK.

AND OF COURSE, WHERE YOU GET COOLING, YOU WILL GET THIS CRACKS ALONG THE DOLERITE.

AND IT'S FULL OF CRACKS, IS FULL OF PREFERENTIAL PATHWAYS, SO OUR PROBLEM IS AT LEAST 10 TIMES, 100 TIMES BIGGER IN SHALES LIKE UNITED STATES WHERE YOU DON'T FIND DOLERITES OR THIS LAVA INTRUSIONS.

>> THE WATER DEEP IN THE KAROO IS UNDER SUCH HIGH PRESSURE THAT IT IS ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THESE PREFERRED FLOW PATHS.

AND VAN TONDER BELIEVES THAT EVENTUALLY THE WATER WILL EVEN FIND ITS WAY UP THE GAS WELLS AFTER THEY ARE CLOSED WITH CEMENT.

>> THEY SAY THEY CLOSE THE HOLE WITH A GOOD CEMENT, BUT ALL THE CEMENT WILL CRACK, WILL DETERIORATE WITH TIME.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN AFTER 50-100 YEARS AFTER ABANDONMENT OF A WELL?

ALL THE WELLS WILL LEAK.

THIS IS A GIVEN.

>> THE LATEST SCIENCE FROM THE GAS FIELDS OF AMERICA SEEMS TO SUPPORT HIS CONCLUSIONS.

ACCORDING TO THIS UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO STUDY AND ANOTHER FROM CORNELL UNIVERSITY, WELLS ARE LEAKING GAS AND OTHER CHEMICALS INTO THE AIR AT A RATE ABOUT 3 TIMES WHAT THE INDUSTRY CONCEDES.

THE GOVERNMENT SUGGESTS THAT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF JOBS WILL BE CREATED, HELPING OFFSET THE 24% UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE COUNTRY.

SMALL-SCALE FARMERS LIKE RAYMOND CLAASSEN BELIEVE THAT THIS IS SHORT-SIGHTED.

[MAN SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE] >> IT IS THINKING LIKE THIS THAT SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO INSTILL IN GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS WITH OVERSIGHT OVER DRILLING ACTIVITIES.

SO, WHAT IS IN THE FRACKING MIXTURE?

NO ONE KNOWS FOR SURE, AND MOST COMPANIES AREN'T TELLING.

DR. THEO COLBURN'S GROUP HAS WORKED WITH THE U.S. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION AND THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY TO UNCOVER A LIST OF 246 PRODUCTS USED BY THE NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY.

>> ONE OF OUR STAFF SET OUT TO SYSTEMATICALLY SET UP A DATABASE IN ORDER TO LOOK AT THE LONG LIST OF CHEMICALS THAT WE HAD AT HAND.

OF THOSE PRODUCTS THAT HAD HEALTH EFFECTS, 14% HAD 1-3 EFFECTS, AND 86% HAD 4-14 EFFECTS.

AND WHAT SURPRISED US WAS TO FIND THAT 43% OF THE PRODUCTS ON OUR LIST CONTAIN ENDOCRINE DISRUPTERS, CHEMICALS THAT CAN INTERFERE WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF INDIVIDUALS BEFORE THEY ARE BORN AND CAUSE IRREVERSIBLE LIFETIME CHANGES IN THEIR HEALTH LATER IN LIFE.

>> BUT THERE ARE OTHER PROBLEMS WITH NATURAL GAS DEVELOPMENT IN THE KAROO OTHER THAN POLLUTION.

SOUTH AFRICA IS HOME TO THE LARGEST OPTICAL TELESCOPE IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE, THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN LARGE TELESCOPE.

ACCORDING TO THIS GOVERNMENT MAP, IT SITS RIGHT INSIDE ONE OF THE DRILLING AREAS FOR NATURAL GAS.

THE MAIN TELESCOPE IS OWNED BY UNIVERSITIES IN THE USA, UK, GERMANY, AND 12 OTHER COUNTRIES.

THERE IS A REAL FEAR THAT OPENING UP THE AREA TO NATURAL GAS DEVELOPMENT WILL IMPEDE THE COUNTRY'S ASTRONOMY PROGRAM AND PREVENT SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENT WHILE HAMPERING INVESTMENT IN THE SQUARE KILOMETER ARRAY.

WITH 3,000 RADIO TELESCOPE DISHES ARRANGED ACROSS THE SUBCONTINENT, THE SQUARE KILOMETER ARRAY WILL BE THE LARGEST TELESCOPE EVER MADE.

SOUTH AFRICA WON THE PROJECT OVER AUSTRALIA IN 2012, AND CONSTRUCTION HAS BEGUN AT ITS BASE HERE IN THE KAROO.

13 COUNTRIES AND 100 ORGANIZATIONS HAVE TEAMED TOGETHER TO BUILD IT, AND MANY WORRY THAT LARGE-SCALE NATURAL GAS EXTRACTION AROUND THE SITE MAY CAUSE PROBLEMS.

>> FRACKING CAN HURT THE SKA IF IT'S TOO CLOSE TO IT.

>> VAN TONDER BELIEVES THAT THE STRONG RADIO SIGNALS GENERATED BY DRILLING THROUGH THE HARD, IRON-LIKE DOLERITE WILL CREATE INTERFERENCE.

>> IS TRAVELING QUICKER THAN 6,000 METERS PER SECOND.

SO EVEN IF YOU DRILL 2,000 KILOMETERS AWAY, IT WILL REACH THE SKA.

>> BUT OTHERS SUGGEST THAT THE FUTURES OF THE SQUARE KILOMETER ARRAY AND THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN LARGE TELESCOPE ARE SAFE, BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT REALIZES ITS SIGNIFICANCE AND WILL NOT ALLOW GAS COMPANIES TO ENDANGER THE PROJECTS.

>> THE GOVERNMENT HAS ALREADY SET UP SOMETHING CALLED THE ASTRONOMY GEOGRAPHIC ADVANTAGE BILL, WHICH PROTECTS THE OBSERVATORY SITES FROM ANY SORT OF NEGATIVE INFLUENCES, BE IT MINING, FRACKING, ALL OF THAT.

>> THE "SUNDAY TIMES" NEWSPAPER REPORTS THAT THE RULING ANC IS INVESTED IN SHELL THROUGH A TRUST, AND OPPOSITION PARTIES CONTEND THAT THE FRACKING ARGUMENT IS CLOUDED BY THIS RELATIONSHIP.

DESPITE LOW WAGES DRIVING THEM INTO THE STREETS IN PROTEST, PEOPLE IN THE KAROO, LIKE BARRYDALE COMMUNITY LEADER HENRY MICHAELS, ARE NOT WILLING TO TRADE THEIR LONG-TERM FUTURE FOR SHORT-TERM GAIN.

>> NO, NO, NO.

IT IS LIKE A SCHEME, YOU SEE.

IT WILL IMPACT OUR ENVIRONMENT, AND ALSO IT WILL IMPACT OUR UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES.

>> RAYMOND CLAASSEN IS A KHOISAN, A MEMBER OF THE ORIGINAL GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE INHABITED THE KAROO FOR MILLENNIA.

HE ALSO FEELS THAT THE HIGH COST OF DRILLING IS SIMPLY NOT WORTH IT.

[SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE] >> THIS IS JEFFREY BARBEE IN THE KAROO FOR LINK TV.