Fracking in the UK: how could a technologically advanced society choose to destroy itself?

Prime Minister Theresa May recently doubled down on the Conservative Party’s commitment to the development of hydraulic fracturing of shale gas (‘fracking’) in the UK. In the House of Commons, the Prime Minister proposed £1 billion of additional resources be directed to local communities and councils to support their acceptance of this new source of fossil fuel extraction. Fracking, the Prime Minister stated, supports economic growth, thousands of jobs, and a future for people.