ハイドロフラッキング（水圧破砕法）は、天然ガスや石油を採掘する手段で、今日の天然ガス井戸の9割はフラッキングで掘削されています。高圧の液体で岩盤を破砕するこの方法は、高い効果を発揮し、最も有効な方法の一つですが、土地や大気、水を汚染し、人々の健康を脅かすとの批判もあり、多くの議論を呼んでいます。オバマ元大統領や保守派の大富豪T・ブーン・ピケンズなどの支持者たちは、天然ガスを地球温暖化防止、雇用創出、税収増につながるクリーンな「21世紀型」燃料と喧伝しています。一方でビル・マッキベンなどの環境活動家は、採掘中止を求める抗議運動を起こしていることから、懸念は払拭されていないといえるでしょう。
「フラッキング液」とは一体何なのでしょうか。水の供給にどのような影響があるのでしょうか。そもそも誰がこの産業を規制していて、米国に採掘可能な天然ガスはどのくらい存在するのでしょうか。本書は、フラッキングの複雑な技術の基礎となっている科学、経済・社会面でのメリット、健康被害や環境への悪影響に至るまで、重要なポイントを明らかにしています。そして短期的にはやり方を改善し、長期的には風力、太陽光、潮力、そしておそらく原子力など、より持続可能な資源に移行する可能性を検討します。今後何年も続くであろうこの論争を理解するのに必要な情報を包括的に提供しています。
   

• Offers an accessible introduction to the science underlying fracking, without getting bogged down in scientifc jargon
• Fracking is constantly in local and national news, and no doubt will continue to be a topic of interest for the foreseeable future
• Prud'homme, a seasoned journalist, writes in a fresh and engaging style

　
Constantly in the news and the subject of much public debate, fracking, as it is known for short, is one of the most promising yet controversial methods of extracting natural gas and oil. Today, 90 percent of natural gas wells use fracking. Though highly effective, the process-which fractures rock with pressurized fluid-has been criticized for polluting land, air, and water, and endangering human health. 
     
A timely addition to Oxford's What Everyone Needs to Know series, Hydrofracking tackles this contentious topic, exploring both sides of the debate and providing a clear guide to the science underlying the technique. In concise question-and-answer format, Alex Prud'homme cuts through the maze of opinions and rhetoric to uncover key points, from the economic and political benefits of fracking to the health dangers and negative effects on the environment. Prud'homme offers clear answers to a range of fundamental questions, including: What is fracking fluid? How does it impact water supplies? Who regulates the industry? How much recoverable natural gas exists in the U.S.? What new innovations are on the horizon? Supporters as diverse as President Obama and the conservative billionaire T. Boone Pickens have promoted natural gas as a clean, "21st-century" fuel that will reduce global warming, create jobs, and provide tax revenues, but concerns remain, with environmental activists like Bill McKibben and others leading protests to put an end to fracking as a means of obtaining alternative energy. Prud'homme considers ways to improve methods in the short-term, while also exploring the possibility of transitioning to more sustainable resources-wind, solar, tidal, and perhaps nuclear power-for the long term. 
   
Written for general readers, Hydrofracking clearly explains both the complex science of fracking and the equally complex political and economic issues that surround it, giving readers all the information they need to understand what will no doubt remain a contentious issue for years to come.