The Battle To Prevent Fracking In The Karoo

The Karoo is the largest ecosystem in South Africa and is home to a fascinating diversity of life, all having adapted to survive an unforgiving landscape. Natural gas exploration has now come to invade this magnificent land in order to exploit its natural resources. A moratorium has been placed on granting exploration licenses to major fuel companies, which allows them to use hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, as a means to extract gas from the earth. Hydraulic fracturing is a drilling technique used to extract shale gas from deep underground. It involves pumping enormous volumes of water, sand and chemicals into horizontally drilled wells under great pressure to shatter the rock layer and release trapped gas.

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When Civil Rights Matter: The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund

When it comes to taking action against a corporation that has violated your rights, it seems as though it is going to be an uphill battle. The corporations are equipped with an army of attorneys, have very deep pockets and seem to have mastered the art of manipulation, especially when it comes to dealing with beaurocracy. However, there is hope. Citizens can actually take matters into their own hands at the local level, where justice can be served. Enter the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund. The CELDF works with communities across the country – from New England to California, from Pennsylvania and Virginia, to Spokane, Washington.

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